The great engine race

摘要

The cocktail of possible engine technologies and fuels that are going to propel an industry desperate to prove it can decarbonise becomes more extraordinary by the day. The ingredients in this cocktail are bewildering, encompassing next-generation turbines, sustainable and hydrogen aviation fuels, hybrid, electric, fuel cells, and an intoxicating mixture of all of them. For the engine makers researching a raft of technical solutions, a discipline that constantly absorbs millions of dollars, this is their day job. However, the task of developing the next generation of engines has arrived at the worst moment financially, with balance sheets swamped by the pandemic-induced crisis.