Electric Planes; As air travel becomes more harmful to the environment; companies are betting on battery power as a cleaner alternative to jet fuel. Prototypes of electric planes have been taking off around the globe; paving the way for a future of cheaper flights, quieter airports, and emissions-free air travel.
Today, zero-emission flight is closer to reality than ever. More so Electric and hybrid-electric propulsion is rapidly revolutionising mobility technologies across industries; from automotive to marine. And the aviation industry is no exception. Airbus is committed to; developing, building and testing electric and hybrid-electric future technology; that will enable the aviation industry to significantly reduce the CO2 emissions of commercial aircraft.
Airbus Electric Plane program
In 2010, Airbus embarked on its electrification journey; developing the world’s first fully-electric, four-engine aerobatic aircraft, CriCri. Since then, Airbus has made significant progress in the electrification of flight. Our all-electric; twin propeller aircraft E-Fan successfully crossed the English Channel in 2015. Vahana, Airbus single-seat electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle demonstrator; has been flight testing since 2018. CityAirbus, our eVTOL demonstrator with a four-passenger capacity; successfully conducted its first take-off in May 2019. Both of our eVTOL demonstrators are undergoing a rigorous and comprehensive flight test program to ensure safety and high performance. E-Fan X; the successor to E-Fan; that is 30 times more powerful than its predecessor; has provided invaluable insights on serial hybrid-electric propulsion. For Airbus; their work in electric propulsion aims to drive the commercialization of zero-emission; all-electric urban air mobility vehicles and, eventually, large commercial aircraft.
What do you think of the electric planes ? Are we going to use them soon with better battery solutions or we will open a new world of technology; that we will not even consider electric planes anymore. Time will answer our questions. If you like it; share with your friends and ask their opinion about it.