A hybrid electric aircraft is an

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

with a

hybrid electric A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) system with an Electric motor, electric propulsion system (hybrid vehicle drivetrain). The presence of the electric powertr ...

powertrain. As the

energy density In physics, energy density is the amount of energy stored in a given system or region of space per unit volume. It is sometimes confused with energy per unit mass which is properly called specific energy or . Often only the ''useful'' or extract ...

lithium-ion batteries A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also se ...

is much lower than

aviation fuel Aviation fuels are petroleum-based fuels, or petroleum and synthetic fuel blends, used to power aircraft. They have more stringent requirements than fuels used for ground use, such as heating and road transport, and contain additives to enhanc ...

, a hybrid electric powertrain may effectively increase flight range compared to pure

electric aircraft An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity. Electric aircraft are seen as a way to reduce the environmental effects of aviation, providing zero emissions and quieter flights. Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods, ...

. By May 2018, there were over 30 hybrid electric aircraft projects, and

short-haul In aviation, the flight length refers to the distance of a flight. Commercial flights are often categorized into long-, medium- or short-haul by commercial airlines based on flight length, although there is no international standard definition and ...

hybrid-electric airliners were envisioned from 2032.

History

The Boeing Truss-Braced Wing subsonic concept was planned with hybrid electric propulsion. The

Diamond DA36 E-Star The Diamond HK36 Super Dimona is an extensive family of Austrian low-wing, T-tailed, two-seat motor gliders that were designed by Wolf Hoffmann and currently produced by Diamond Aircraft Industries.Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soarin ...

first flew on 8 June 2011, the first flight of a

series hybrid Hybrid vehicle drivetrains transmit power to the driving wheels for hybrid vehicles. A hybrid vehicle has multiple forms of motive power. Hybrids come in many configurations. For example, a hybrid may receive its energy by burning gasoline, but sw ...

powertrain, reducing fuel consumption and emissions by up to 25%, a technology scalable to a 100-seater airliner. A small and lighter

Austro Engine Austro Engine is an Austrian manufacturer of aircraft engines based at Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria. History The production site and headquarters was built in 2007 with an investment of EUR 13 Million. The company was founded by Diamond Air ...

40 hp (30 kW)

Wankel engine The Wankel engine (, ) is a type of internal combustion engine using an Eccentric (mechanism), eccentric rotary combustion engine, rotary design to convert pressure into rotating motion. It was invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, and desi ...

generates the electricity, supplemented by

EADS Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...

batteries for silent take off, feeding a

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...

70 kW (94 hp) electric motor turning the propeller. The

AgustaWestland Project Zero The AgustaWestland Project Zero is a hybrid tiltrotor/Lift fan aircraft. It has been developed by AgustaWestland as a technology demonstrator, and is used to investigate all-electric propulsion and other advanced technologies. It is the world's ...

was intended to be hybrid-electric.

2011

Nasa sponsored a

centennial challenge The Centennial Challenges are NASA space competition inducement prize contests for non-government-funded technological achievements by American teams. Origin NASA's Centennial Challenge Program (CCP) directly engages the public at large in the p ...

to encourage the development of the world's most fuel-efficient airplane. The contest got co-sponsored by

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

and was conducted in California skies. Amongst the entrants was the world's first parallel gas-electric hybrid aircraft called the EcoEagle, built by students of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, two electric airplanes - the

Pipistrel Taurus The Pipistrel Taurus is a Slovenian self-launched two-seat microlight glider designed and built by Pipistrel.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 65. Belvoir Publications ...

G4 and the eGenius.

2014

Faradair Aerospace launches a Triple Box-wing hybrid electric aircraft concept Called the BEHA (Bio Electric Hybrid Aircraft) as one of the world's first regional aircraft specifically designed for hybrid electric regional flight. The UK start-up has continued development from the initial concept to the latest BEHA M1H variant, with future opportunity for unmanned and all electric variants. The E-STOL BEHA has gained support from key members of the UK Government and the airframe development has been conducted at Swansea University.

2017

Zunum Aero Zunum Aero (Mayan for hummingbird) was an aircraft manufacturer startup based in Kirkland, Washington. Backed by Boeing HorizonX and JetBlue Technology Ventures, the company worked from 2013 to 2018 on a proposed family of hybrid electric regiona ...

, backed by

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

and

JetBlue JetBlue Airways Corporation (stylized as jetBlue) is a major American low cost airline, and the seventh largest airline in North America by passengers carried. The airline is headquartered in the Long Island City neighborhood of the New York C ...

, is working since 2014 on a family of 10- to 50-seat

regional aircraft A regional airliner or a feederliner is a small airliner that is designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' airline hubs from small markets. This class of airliners is typically flown by the reg ...

. On 5 October 2017, Zunum launched the development of a six-to-12-seat aircraft. Aiming to fly in 2020 and be delivered in 2022, it should lower operating costs by 40–80% to reach available seat miles (ASM) costs of a 78-seat

Dash 8-Q400 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier Aerospace, Bombard ...

. On 28 November 2017,

Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...

announced a partnership with

Rolls-Royce plc Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is a British multinational aerospace and defence company incorporated in February 2011. The company owns Rolls-Royce, a business established in 1904 which today designs, manufactures and distributes power systems for ...

and

to develop the E-Fan X hybrid-electric

airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ...

demonstrator, to fly in 2020.
AirbusRolls-RoyceSiemens

2018

The 1,300-shp

GE Catalyst The General Electric Catalyst (formerly Advanced Turboprop, or ATP) is a turboprop engine by GE Aviation. It was announced on 16 November 2015 and will power the Beechcraft Denali, it first ran on December 22, 2017, and should be certified in 20 ...

could be used in hybrid-electric propulsion: in late 2016,

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

modified a GE F110 fighter turbofan to extract 250 kW from its turbine and 750 kW from its turbine, supported by the

USAF Research Laboratory The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of aerospace warfighting technologies, pl ...

and NASA, developed and tested a 1-megawatt electric motor/generator with

GE Global Research GE Research is the research and development division of General Electric. GE Global Research locations include: * Global Research Center in Niskayuna, New York, established as the General Electric Research Laboratory in Schenectady in 1900 and ...

, and tested a liquid-cooled

inverter A power inverter, inverter or invertor is a power electronic device or circuitry that changes direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). The resulting AC frequency obtained depends on the particular device employed. Inverters do the opp ...

converting 2,400-volt DC to three-phase AC with

silicon carbide Silicon carbide (SiC), also known as carborundum (), is a hard chemical compound containing silicon and carbon. A semiconductor, it occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral moissanite, but has been mass-produced as a powder and crystal sin ...

-based switches and 1.7-kW

MOSFET The metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET, MOS-FET, or MOS FET) is a type of field-effect transistor (FET), most commonly fabricated by the controlled oxidation of silicon. It has an insulated gate, the voltage of which d ...

power modules. Industry experts expects a 50+ seat hybrid-electric airliner to debut in commercial operation by 2032 for routes like London-Paris. By November of 2018,

offices have been closed and all 70 staff members laid off as the programme comes to an end. Pipistrel Panthera aircraft

The EU funded the Hypstair program with €6.55 million over three years till 2016 for a

TRL TRL or trl may refer to: Arts * Temporary Residence Limited, a record label * ''Total Request Live'', a former MTV show * TRL Awards (''Total Request Live''), an Italian music award Libraries * Tampines Regional Library, a regional library in Ta ...

of 4: a Pipistrel Panthera mockup received a

serial hybrid Hybrid vehicle drivetrains transmit power to the driving wheels for hybrid vehicles. A hybrid vehicle has multiple forms of motive power. Hybrids come in many configurations. For example, a hybrid may receive its energy by burning gasoline, but sw ...

-electric powertrain, ground testing a 200-kW motor driven by batteries only, by a 100-kW generator-only and by both combined. It is followed by Mahepa project from 2017, EU-funded over four years with €9 million under the

Horizon 2020 The Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development, also called Framework Programmes or abbreviated FP1 to FP9, are funding programmes created by the European Union/European Commission to support and foster research in the Europea ...

research program to reduce aviation

carbon emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and larg ...

by 70% in 2050, till TRL 6 before entering product development. The Panthera drivetrain will be divided in modules:

electric motor An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...

thrust Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that syst ...

generator and

internal combustion An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combus ...

power generator Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its delivery ( transmission, distribution, etc.) to end users or its sto ...

in the nose,

human-machine interface In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine fr ...

and

computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and development of both hardware and software. Computing has scientific, e ...

, fuel and batteries in the wing. Ground testing is planned for 2019 before flight tests in 2020. Pipistrel Taurus G4 take-off at 2011 Green Flight Challenge

Pipistrel Taurus G4 take-off at 2011 Green Flight Challenge

The dual-fuselage, four-seat, battery-powered

Pipistrel Taurus G4 The Pipistrel Taurus is a Slovenian self-launched two-seat microlight glider designed and built by Pipistrel.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 65. Belvoir Publication ...

received a DLR

hydrogen fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requ ...

powertrain to fly as the HY4 in September 2016, with

hydrogen tank A hydrogen tank (other names- cartridge or canister) is used for hydrogen storage. The first type IV hydrogen tanks for compressed hydrogen at were demonstrated in 2001, the first fuel cell vehicles on the road with type IV tanks are the Toyota F ...

s and batteries in the fuselages, fuel cells and motor in the central

nacelle A nacelle ( ) is a "streamlined body, sized according to what it contains", such as an engine, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. When attached by a pylon entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attached ...

. Partners are German motor and inverter developer

Compact Dynamics Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in British ...

Ulm University Ulm University (german: Universität Ulm) is a public university in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The university was founded in 1967 and focuses on natural sciences, medicine, engineering sciences, mathematics, economics and computer scie ...

TU Delft Delft University of Technology ( nl, Technische Universiteit Delft), also known as TU Delft, is the oldest and largest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands. As of 2022 it is ranked by QS World University Rankings among ...

Politecnico di Milano The Polytechnic University of Milan () is the largest technical university in Italy, with about 42,000 students. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and higher education courses in engineering, architecture and design. Founded in 186 ...

and

University of Maribor The University of Maribor ( sl, Univerza v Mariboru) is Slovenia's second-largest university, established in 1975 in Maribor, Slovenia. It currently has 17 faculties. History The university's roots reach back to 1859, when a theological semin ...

. Ground and flight tests should follow those of the Panthera a couple of months later. Along their

ground handling In aviation, aircraft ground handling defines the servicing of an aircraft while it is on the ground and (usually) parked at a terminal gate of an airport. Overview Many airlines subcontract ground handling to airports, handling agents or ...

, scaling to 19- and 70-seat airliners will be studied in two configurations: more of the same size modules for electric

distributed propulsion In aeronautics, Distributed propulsion is an arrangement in which the propulsive and related air flows are distributed over the aerodynamic surfaces of an aircraft. The purpose is to improve the craft's aerodynamic, propulsive and/or structural ...

, or larger sized modules extrapolating the flight-test results, powering twin propellers. Flights will test system behavior, measure performance and

reliability Reliability, reliable, or unreliable may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Computing * Data reliability (disambiguation), a property of some disk arrays in computer storage * High availability * Reliability (computer networking), a ...

, and evaluate failure modes. A

failure rate Failure rate is the frequency with which an engineered system or component fails, expressed in failures per unit of time. It is usually denoted by the Greek letter λ (lambda) and is often used in reliability engineering. The failure rate of a ...

of one per 10 million hours is targeted, as low as in airliners, with very reliable components or with redundancy. Austrian company ScaleWings, developer of a P-51 Mustang scale replica, has developed a hybrid and redundant piston/electric engine, based on independent modules: a four-stroke V-twin producing when turbocharged, and electric motors, producing combined. VoltAero is a startup company formed in September 2017 by the CTO and test pilot of the 2014

Airbus E-Fan The Airbus E-Fan is a prototype two-seater electric aircraft that was under development by Airbus. It was flown in front of the world press at the Farnborough Airshow in the United Kingdom in July 2014. The target market was intended to be pil ...

1.0, located in

Royan Royan (; in the Saintongeais dialect; oc, Roian) is a commune and town in the south-west of France, in the department of Charente-Maritime in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Its inhabitants are known as ''Royannais'' and ''Royannaises''. Capi ...

and established with the support of the French

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by t ...

region. The company is developing a hybrid testbed based on the

Cessna 337 Skymaster The Cessna Skymaster is an American twin-engine civil utility aircraft built in a push-pull configuration. Its engines are mounted in the nose and rear of its pod-style fuselage. Twin booms extend aft of the wings to the vertical stabilizers, ...

, which it intends to fly in late February 2019. The clean-sheet, all-composite

VoltAero Cassio The VoltAero Cassio is a family of hybrid electric aircraft being developed by startup company VoltAero. The company plans to produce three configurations of the Cassio aircraft: the four-place Cassio 330, the six-place Cassio 480, and the ten-pl ...

prototype should follow in 2020, before deliveries in late 2021 or early 2022. It will be powered by two

electric motors An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate force ...

driving

tractor propeller In aviation, the term tractor configuration refers to an aircraft constructed in the standard configuration with its engine mounted with the propeller in front of it so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. Oppositely, the pusher co ...

s on the wing and a

piston engine A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common featu ...

and motor driving a

pusher propeller In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in nor ...

in the aft fuselage. The combination of fuel and batteries will give it a range with nine people aboard. On 31 October 2018, Diamond Aircraft flew the , funded by Germany’s economics ministry and the

Austrian Research Promotion Agency The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (german: links=no, Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft or FFG) is an organization for the promotion of research and innovation in the field of applied and industrial research in Austria and i ...

, reaching and within 20 minutes. It is a modified

DA40 The Diamond DA40 Diamond Star is an Austrian four-seat, single-engine, light aircraft constructed from composite materials. Built in both Austria and Canada, it was developed as a four-seat version of the earlier DA20 by Diamond Aircraft ...

with its single piston engine replaced by two Siemens electric motors in the nose powered by a

Austro Engine AE 300 The Austro Engine E4 (marketed as the AE 300) is a liquid-cooled, inline, four-cylinder, four-stroke, aircraft diesel engine. The engine is manufactured by Austro Engine, an Austrian-based company and subsidiary of Diamond Aircraft Industries. ...

diesel or two batteries, for a 5 h. endurance or 30 min. on batteries only.

2019

By January 2019, U.S. startup Ampaire was replacing the

(a push-pull aircraft) aft piston engine with an electric motor, to fly the prototype on Hawaiian

Mokulele Airlines Southern Airways Express, doing business as Mokulele Airlines, is an American commuter airline operating in Hawaii. The airline operates scheduled inter-island and charter flights among all Hawaiian islands with airports. Mokulele Airlines wa ...

commuter routes operated with

Cessna Caravan The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna. The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargomas ...

s. Seven other airlines are interested by Caravan or

Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restarted ...

conversions: Seattle’s

Kenmore Air Kenmore Air Harbor, Inc., doing business as Kenmore Air, is an American airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Kenmore Air Harbor in Kenmore, Washington, United States, north of Seattle. It operates scheduled and charter seaplane and lan ...

Tropic Air Tropic Air is an airline operating scheduled services from Belize. Founded in 1979 by John Greif III with just a single airplane and two employees, Tropic has steadily grown to a fleet of 17 light aircraft. The airline flies to 17 destinations in ...

of Belize, Puerto Rico-based

Vieques Air Link Vieques Air Link (VAL, IATA code:V4) is a small Puerto Rico-based airline that links Vieques with Culebra and mainland Puerto Rico. History Operations began during 1965, with owner Osvaldo "Val" Gonzalez-Duriex piloting a plane with three ...

Southern Airways Express Southern Airways Express is a commuter airline operating across the United States with headquarters in Palm Beach, Florida. Southern Airways acts as a local service airline for dozens of cities across all U.S. time zones, Approximately a third ...

of Memphis, Tennessee, Guernsey’s

Aurigny Aurigny Air Services Limited (pronounced ), commonly known as Aurigny, is the flag carrier airline of the Bailiwick of Guernsey with its head office next to Guernsey Airport in the Channel Islands, and wholly owned by the States of Guernsey ...

and

Star Marianas Air Star Marianas Air, Inc. is a U.S. commuter airline headquartered at Tinian International Airport in Tinian Municipality, Northern Mariana Islands. It operates scheduled and charter passenger service in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana ...

, based in the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. Test flights will take place on a route over 15 minutes between

Kahului Airport Kahului Airport is the main airport of Maui in the State of Hawaii, United States, located east of Kahului. It has offered full airport operations since 1952. Most flights into Kahului Airport originate from Daniel K. Inouye International Ai ...

in Central Maui and

Hana Airport Hana or HANA may refer to: Places Europe * Haná, an ethnic region in Moravia, Czech Republic * Traianoupoli, Greece, called Hana during the Ottoman period * Hana, Norway, a borough in the city of Sandnes, Norway West Asia * Hana, Iran, a city ...

on the East side. The hybrid prototype held its first public test flight on June 6, 2019, before scheduled service planned for 2021.

Personal Airline Exchange Personal may refer to: Aspects of persons' respective individualities * Privacy * Personality * Personal, personal advertisement, variety of classified advertisement used to find romance or friendship Companies * Personal, Inc., a Washington ...

(PAX) became the launch customer for the Ampaire Electric EEL modified six-seat Skymaster, to be certified in 2021, with an order for 50 plus 50 options. By March 2019, UTC was converting a 39-seat

Bombardier Dash 8 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then by ...

Q100 into a hybrid-electric for demonstration flights from 2022 within its Project 804. The design is similar to the

Airbus E-Fan X The Airbus/Rolls-Royce/Siemens E-Fan X was a hybrid electric aircraft demonstrator being developed by a partnership of Airbus, Rolls-Royce plc and Siemens. Announced on 28 November 2017, it followed previous electric flight demonstrators towards ...

program, but aims for certification and production for a subsequent commercial offer. One PW121 turboprop will be replaced by a gas turbine joined with an electric motor of the same rating, powered by off-the-shelf

for takeoff and climb. The turbine is used alone in

cruise A cruise is any travel on a cruise ship. Cruise or Cruises may also refer to: Tourism * Booze cruise * Music cruise * River cruise Aeronautics and aircraft * Cruise (aeronautics), a distinct stage of an aircraft's flight * Aviasouz Cruise, a R ...

and drives the motor-generator to recharge the batteries in

descent Descent may refer to: As a noun Genealogy and inheritance * Common descent, concept in evolutionary biology * Kinship, one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology **Pedigree chart or family tree **Ancestry **Lineal descendant **Heritage (d ...

. The downsized engine operates at its optimum for 30% fuel savings over . Range is reduced from due to the higher empty weight and 50% lower fuel capacity. Faradair Aerospace launched its 18 seat BEHA M1H during Revolution.aero in March, London, with turboprop hybrid propulsion and 'quick change' passenger/cargo capability, targeting the CS23/Part23 commuter category regulations. The E-STOL aircraft capable of operation on runways of less than 300m with 5 tonne payload from its unique Triple box-wing configuration and quiet ducted fan pusher configuration. At the June 2019

Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (french: Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. Organized by the French ...

Daher Daher, or DAHER, is a French industrial conglomerate. It is operational across the aerospace, defence, nuclear, and automotive industrial sectors in the fields of manufacturing, services, and transport. It was founded in 1863 as a shipping ...

and

Safran Safran S.A. is a French multinational company that designs, develops and manufactures aircraft engines, rocket engines as well as various aerospace and defense-related equipment or their components. It was formed by a merger between SNECMA and ...

teamed up to develop the TBM-based EcoPulse demonstrator, with half of the €22 million ($25 million) demonstration funded by the DGAC. The maiden flight is scheduled for the summer of 2022 before a hypothetical 2025-30 certification. The aircraft’s existing engine will be supplemented by six safran electric motor on the wing fed by a

APU APU or Apu may refer to: Film and television * ''The Apu Trilogy'', a series of three Bengali films, directed by Satyajit Ray, with the fictional character Apu Roy, comprising: ** ''Pather Panchali'' (''Song of the Little Road'') (1955), the first ...

or batteries. Similar to the NASA X-57 Maxwell, the

reduces wingtip vortices and add low speed lift by blowing the wing, enabling a smaller, lower drag wing. A mid-May 2019 survey for

UBS UBS Group AG is a multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company founded and based in Switzerland. Co-headquartered in the cities of Zürich and Basel, it maintains a presence in all major financial centres ...

shows 38% of Americans and Germans said they would be likely to fly in a hybrid-electric airplane, rising to more than 50% for 18-44-year-olds. UBS thinks hybrid aircraft for up to nine passengers over short routes below could be available from 2022, and 2028 for regional airliners up to 1 h routes. UBS forecast a market for 16,000 hybrid-electric airplanes and $178-192 billion over 2028-40, mostly in

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

, light

business jet A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pub ...

s and

with 20% lower operating costs than present 50-70 seaters. Led by Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS), Project Fresson started on 1 October 2019, to fly an electric

Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a British light utility aircraft and regional airliner designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. Still in production, the Islander is one of the best-selling commercial air ...

within 30 months before an EASA STC within another 6-12 months. It targets a 60 min endurance plus 30 min reserves and with energy five times cheaper than Avgas and reduced maintenance, the conversion cost could be recovered in three years and it would have a range-extender combustion engine. Half of the £18 million ($22 million) funding come from the partners and the other half from the UK government. Of 800 Islanders in service, around 600 are used for short flights.

Loganair Loganair is a Scottish regional airline based at Glasgow Airport near Paisley, Scotland. It is the largest regional airline in the UK by passenger numbers and fleet size. In addition to its main base at Glasgow, it has hubs at Aberdeen, Edinb ...

should use it for short interisland hops off northern

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Electric EEL The electric eels are a genus, ''Electrophorus'', of neotropical freshwater fish from South America in the family Gymnotidae. They are known for their ability to stun their prey by generating electricity, delivering shocks at up to 860 volts ...

developer Ampaire and aircraft modification specialist Ikhana Aircraft Services study a 19 seat, diesel-electric hybrid

de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restarted ...

. It could use Ikhana's STC for an increased

MTOW The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) or maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) or maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) of an aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot is allowed to attempt to take off, due to structural or other limits. The analogous ...

from , the study is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

2020

Supported by

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

n funding, the German DLR is modifying one of its two Do 228 into a hybrid-electric demonstrator. The first fully electric flight is planned for 2020 and the first hybrid-electric flight for 2021, apparently from Cochstedt Airport. Partners include

MTU Aero Engines MTU Aero Engines AG is a German aircraft engine manufacturer. MTU develops, manufactures and provides service support for military and civil aircraft engines. MTU Aero Engines was formerly known as MTU München. History While the Munich-based en ...

and

, of which

is acquiring the electric propulsion unit. In April of 2020, the E-FanX programme supported by Rolls-Royce plc, Airbus and Siemens is cancelled. By July 2020, Faradair Aerospace announces relocation to Duxford Airfield, Cambridgeshire, UK in partnership with the

Imperial War Museum Duxford Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Britain's largest aviation museum, Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artill ...

and

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

, to develop the BEHA M1H prototype hybrid electric regional aircraft from a new bespoke prototyping facility as part of the new Duxford Avtech aerospace research and development campus. First flight is targeted for late 2023/early 2024. In November 2020,

Embraer Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace manufacturer that produces commercial, military, executive and agricultural aircraft, and provides aeronautical services. It was founded in 1969 in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, where i ...

had a new design for a

regional airliner A regional airliner or a feederliner is a small airliner that is designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' airline hubs from small markets. This class of airliners is typically flown by the re ...

avoiding an hybrid-electric drivetrain, as operating costs would increase by 15% for 5% of the required power compared to conventional

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...

2021

The Berlin-Brandenburg Aerospace Alliance is a

business cluster A business cluster is a geographic concentration of interconnected businesses, suppliers, and associated institutions in a particular field. Clusters are considered to increase the productivity with which companies can compete, nationally and glo ...

that includes Rolls-Royce Dahlewitz,

, aeronautical engineering specialist APUS and

Stemme Stemme AG is a German glider manufacturer. Aircraft production is complemented by service, maintenance and repair of their sports and personal aircraft. Starting in 2014 many Stemme glider structural components were made under contract by Remos A ...

. It plans the -i6 project, a 19-seat

distributed electric propulsion In aeronautics, Distributed propulsion is an arrangement in which the propulsive and related air flows are distributed over the aerodynamic surfaces of an aircraft. The purpose is to improve the craft's aerodynamic, propulsive and/or structural ...

demonstrator to fly in 2021 with

turbodiesel The term turbo-diesel, also written as turbodiesel and turbo diesel, refers to any diesel engine equipped with a turbocharger. As with other engine types, turbocharging a diesel engine can significantly increase its efficiency and power output, ...

gas turbine A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directi ...

and

fuel-cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requi ...

generators. Separate from this i-6, the APUS i-5 will be a

twin-boom A twin-boom aircraft is characterised by two longitudinal booms (extended nacelle-like bodies). The booms may contain ancillary items such as fuel tanks and/or provide a supporting structure for other items. Typically, twin tailbooms support ...

testbed with tandem seating for a 4 t (8,800 lb) gross-weight. A

Rolls-Royce 250 The Allison Model 250, now known as the Rolls-Royce M250, (US military designations T63 and T703) is a highly successful turboshaft engine family, originally developed by the Allison Engine Company in the early 1960s. The Model 250 has been pro ...

turboshaft will drive four electric propellers through a battery, generators, convertors, and power controls. Supported by the German state of

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...

and the

Brandenburg University of Technology The Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg (german: link=no, Brandenburgische Technische Universität, BTU) was founded in 1991 and is a technical university in Brandenburg, Germany with campuses in Cottbus and Senftenberg. T ...

, flights should begin after 2021.

2022

In 2019, the

National Research Council Canada The National Research Council Canada (NRC; french: Conseil national de recherches Canada) is the primary national agency of the Government of Canada dedicated to science and technology research & development. It is the largest federal research ...

started to convert a

Cessna Skymaster The Cessna Skymaster is an American twin-engine civil utility aircraft built in a push-pull configuration. Its engines are mounted in the nose and rear of its pod-style fuselage. Twin booms extend aft of the wings to the vertical stabilizers, ...

, a

push-pull configuration An aircraft constructed with a push-pull configuration has a combination of forward-mounted tractor (pull) propellers, and backward-mounted ( pusher) propellers. Historical The earliest known examples of "push-pull" engined-layout aircraft incl ...

, the Hybrid Electric Aircraft Testbed. It first flew on 7 February 2022.