The term “electric aircraft” refers to electrified aircraft. Aviation experts distinguish between three levels of electrification of aircraft: “more electric,” “all-electric,” and “hybrid.

“More electric,” or an airplane with increased electrification

This apparatus, like a conventional airplane, is equipped with an internal combustion engine. The motor converts the chemical energy of the burning fuel into mechanical energy and creates thrust-the force that pushes it through the air flow. But most of the equipment work (wing adjustment, landing gear release, and so on) is done by electric actuators. They are powered by the power supply system and convert electrical energy into mechanical energy.

“All-Electric Aircraft”

An aircraft that has no combustion engines and all equipment runs on electricity. Such aircraft use electric motors powered by batteries to create thrust.

At the beginning of the 2000s there began a boom in the creation of “all-electric aircraft” with lithium-ion batteries as the main power source.

The use of batteries as the main sources of energy limited the capabilities of aircraft – range, flight time, and payload. That’s why aviation specialists began to consider alternative options for generating energy. Among them:

• solar cells – convert radiation energy into electricity;
• Fuel cells – converts fuel chemical energy into electric energy without combustion processes; hydrogen is used most frequently as fuel.

“Hybrid airplane”

Equipped with a hybrid power plant. It converts energy twice: first into mechanical energy with the help of internal combustion engines, then into electrical energy with the help of generators.

Why convert aviation to electricity

The obvious reason for the increased demand for electrification is the environment. According to the International Air Transport Association IATA, commercial aviation accounts for about 2-3% of carbon dioxide emissions. And one short flight, for example from London to Rome, produces 234 kg of carbon dioxide per person – more than the citizens of some countries produce in a whole year.

Switching to electricity will help solve the environmental and other problems of modern aviation.

Reducing the amount of emissions into the atmosphere

“An all-electric airplane creates no exhaust. But it is not yet considered completely environmentally friendly, because the production of batteries pollutes the environment, and because of the structure and chemical composition they are difficult to dispose of.

Airbus presented its “Smart Sky” project for the development of future aviation. It predicts that by 2050 aircraft with hybrid propulsion systems and electric motors will be widespread. Airports will abandon internal combustion engines even on the ground: unmanned electric tow trucks will take planes to and from the runway. All this will help reduce the amount of emissions into the atmosphere.