Industry Addendum
Siemens, Airbus and Rolls-Royce fast track electric development
December 1st 2017
Three giants of the manufacturing world have formed a partnership to develop a near term flight demonstrator that will bring hybrid electric powered commercial aircraft closer to production. Read More » The new initiative follows the E-Aircraft Systems House collaboration between Airbus and Siemens that was launched in 2016.
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Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens AG said the E-Fan X hybrid-electric technology demonstrator hoped to fly in 2020 after a ground test campaign likely to be conducted on a BAe146 flying test bed. One of the four gas turbine engines on the BAe will be replaced with an electric motor when system maturity was proven, the three companies said in a joint statement in London in November.
Airbus will be responsible for overall integration as well as the control architecture of the hybrid-electric compulsion system and batteries and the engine’s integration with flight controls.
Rolls-Royce will be responsible for the turbo-shaft engine, two megawatt generator and power electronics. Both OEMs will work on the fan adaptation to the existing nacelle and the Siemens electronic motor.
Siemens will deliver two megawatt electronic motors, their power electronic control unit, the inverter, the Dc/DC converter and the power distribution system.
The partners are committed to meeting the European Union’s technical environment flight path goals for 2050 of a 60% reduction in CO2, a 90% cut in NOx and a 75% elimination of noise; goals that cannot be attained with existing technologies.
