Hybrid looks set for future skies

摘要

Hybrid-electric aircraft that produce lower emissions than existing aircraft could be in the sky by 2030, as a result of a collaboration between Airbus and Siemens. The companies have launched a joint project to investigate various hybrid/electric propulsion systems by 2020, in a bid to determine which are the most technically feasible, and how soon they could be applied to aircraft, according to Martin Nuesseler, head of e-aircraft systems at Airbus. "We are targeting a significant further fuel reduction on top of the improvements we will reach in the next years by incremental optimisation of existing systems," he said. "In the years 2030 and beyond our project could gain an additional 30-40 per cent step in carbon fuel reduction."