Electric Aircraft

Introduction

Despite fuel efficiency improvements for fossil fuel powered aircraft, it has recently been estimated that by 2050, 43 Gt of carbon pollution could come from aircraft if a ‘business as usual’ scenario were adopted. The combustion of hydrocarbons in aviation fuel also leads to the emission of harmful oxides and particulates. Electric power sources have been used in aircraft since 1973, though this was for a motor glider carrying 2 people for 12 minutes. Modern attempts at building electric aircraft have successfully increased the flight time but load carrying capacity and turn-around times remain problematic [1].

Task

Your company has been tasked to come up with a proposal for implementing a commercial electrical or hybrid aircraft design into the worldwide fleet by 2050, with the aim of reducing the dependence on fossil fuels for air travel. Your proposal should consider which sector of the air travel market would be most suitable to launch your product and include an estimate of research, manufacturing and operating costs. You should also have an implementation plan for introducing your designed aircraft and phasing out the existing conventional fleet.

Considerations

·   Technology

You will need to come up with a design which considers the power source (fully electric or a hybrid), power density, and flight dynamics to demonstrate proof of concept. Current designs use a mix of light alloys and composites to be as light as possible you may need to consider more novel materials an approaches to achieve your design.

·   Infrastructure

There will be an additional infrastructure requirement for your aircraft to ensure it can always be refuelled, regardless of the destination or emergency diversions. You should also consider the turnaround times and airport capacity for standing aircraft.

·   Market factors

You will have to consider the major market factors that will affect the viability of your design. Will you have to increase the number of aircraft in service to accommodate long recharging times or can you find a method/design for quick-charging of the power source? What range can your design achieve and therefore how many routes could it replace conventional aircraft on? What is the carry capacity of your design, or what is the estimated number of passengers needed per flight to be profitable?

·   Safety

You will need to consider the safety of your power sources and ensure they meet the current minimum safety standards for UK commercial aircraft.

·   Cost proposal

What will be the cost of designing a new, commercially viable electric/hybrid aircraft? What price will you be looking at selling your aircraft at to be desirable enough for airline operators to buy over a conventional aircraft? Will you need a government subsidy or incentives for these operators to purchase your electrical aircraft?

·   Sustainability

Can you provide a full life cycle analysis of your materials? Can you use recycled materials and are your materials recyclable? [2] 

References

[1] The Conversation Trust (UK) Ltd,  "Electric aircraft – the future of aviation or just wishful thinking?", in The Conversation, Aug. 21, 2018 [Accessed: October 10, 2023. Available: http://theconversation.com/electric-aircraft-the-future-of-aviation-or-just-wishful-thinking-45817

[2] The United Nations, “United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.” https://sdgs.un.org [Accessed: October 10, 2023]