A Comparative Study on the Design and Challenges for All-Electric and Hybrid-Electric Aircraft

Shenzhen College of International Education, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518043, China

^* Corresponding author: gongbin@cug.edu.cn

Abstract

Greenhouse gas (GHG) consumption from the combustion of jet fuel is already a key contributor to climate change. The amount of pollution is rising continuously as the demand for air travel rises consistently. The electrification of aircraft can reduce GHG emissions, but significant barriers are limiting the practical construction of full-electric aircraft and hybrid-electric aircraft. This paper analyzes the key design requirements of the architectures mentioned above by considering the propulsion system, energy storage, use of materials, structure design, and thermal management systems. The full-electric aircraft has a simpler structure but has limited performance because of the inferior energy density of contemporary batteries. The hybrid-electric aircraft can mitigate the energy density issue since an internal combustion engine supports the operation of its powertrain, but many adverse effects arise due to its complex structure. The difficulties of constructing full/hybrid electric aircraft are identified respectively and compared. Some of the advancements in technology that could be implemented in the electric aircraft are also described.