Critical Development of Electric Fixed-Wing Manned Civil Aircraft

Western Canada High School, T2S 0B5 Calgary, Canada

^* Corresponding author: alanyu060929@berkeley.edu

Abstract

This paper briefly introduces the current role of civil aviation in the emission of greenhouse gases and the history of electric aviation, pointing out the necessity of developing electric civil aircraft to reach strict environmental policies such as the EU flightpath 2050. The four common architectures for electric airplanes, which are the all-electric, series hybrid electric, parallel hybrid electric and turboelectric, are briefly explained. This paper explains their respective construction, advantages and disadvantages, and technical feasibility and gives some examples of developing projects of all-electric and turboelectric architecture. The major problem for large commercial e-aircraft, energy density, is also discussed and the energy density required for various structures to achieve the highest efficiency is given. For several small business and regional aircraft that have been put into use or completed test flights, this paper explores their economics and whether their current cost is competitive with similar conventional gas turbine aircraft.