Skip to main content

Short haul flights will be quieter with Siemens and Airbus electric aircraft

siemens airbus electric aircraft 08 juni 2011  ein historischer tag in der luftfahrt
An earlier Siemens hybrid aircraft collaboration Siemens
Electric vehicles are getting loads of attention with the fury of Tesla 3 pre-orders, but wait, look up in the sky! About the same time the new Teslas showing up, Siemens and Airbus may have electric aircraft in the air.

The high tech pair set 2020 as the target for demonstration planes. They hope to have passenger aircraft with less than 100 seats powered by hybrid/electric propulsion systems by 2030. Together, they are committing 200 employees to make it happen. Clearly Siemens and Airbus think electric aircraft are the future, at least for shorter range flghts.

See also: EasyJet can save 50,000 tons of CO2 annually with a hydrogen-hybrid plane

The advantages of all-electric or hybrid/electric aircraft engines are significantly reduced emissions and fuel consumption. Europe has set a high bar with a target of 75% CO2 emissions reduction by 2050 (compared to levels recorded in 2000) and Airbus and Siemens don’t believe that target can be reached with petroleum-fueled engines.

For passengers and crew, as well as often noise-beleaguered people who live near airports, another benefit will be the reduction in sound. There would be wind noise, of course, but what if aircraft were as quiet as golf carts?  Clearly that would be much more pleasant than the wall of sound emanated from most current planes.

The planned prototypes on Airbus and Siemen’s wish-list will range from a “few 100” kilowatts, according to Airbus, to 10+ megawatts. The higher power levels would be appropriate for short and medium haul trips.

This joint alternative fuel engine project is not Siemens and Airbus Group’s first rodeo together. In 2011, they collaborated on a demonstration with Austria’s Diamond Aircraft. Since then, Siemens has been at work on an electric engine supplying five times the power of the 2011 demo, with no weight gain. In 2015, an Airbus electric-powered small plane made a channel crossing in a flight demonstrating their progress with the E-Fan. They now use that two-seater design to train pilots.

Near silent, non-polluting aircraft certainly sound like a good idea, but let’s hope no one’s counting on chargers in the sky. We can imagine that one day, there will probably be power “tankers” as there are today refueling planes aloft for jet fuel aircraft.  That is likely to be a very quiet megakilowatt transfer. One thing we can all look forward to is thoroughly thought out on-board charging for our portable electronics.

Editors' Recommendations

Bruce Brown
Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…
The massive Airlander 10 flying machine could go all-electric
worlds largest aircraft tears itself apart airlander

Airlander Rethink The Skies

The British company behind the Airlander 10 aircraft retired the prototype at the start of this year as it looked toward building a production model of what was the world’s longest flying machine.

Read more
Meet the game-changing pitching robot that can perfectly mimic any human throw
baseball hitter swings and misses

Who’s your favorite baseball pitcher? Shane McClanahan? Sandy Alcantara? Justin Verlander? Whoever you said, two of the top sports-tech companies in the U.S. -- Rapsodo and Trajekt Sports -- have teamed up to build a robot version of them, and the results are reportedly uncannily accurate.

Okay, so we’re not talking about walking-talking-pitching standalone robots, as great a sci-fi-tinged MLB ad as that would be. However, Rapsodo and Trajekt have combined their considerable powers to throw a slew of different technologies at the problem of building a machine that's able to accurately simulate the pitching style of whichever player you want to practice batting against -- and they may just have pulled it off, too.

Read more
The best portable power stations
EcoFlow DELTA 2 on table at campsite for quick charging.

Affordable and efficient portable power is a necessity these days, keeping our electronic devices operational while on the go. But there are literally dozens of options to choose from, making it abundantly difficult to decide which mobile charging solution is best for you. We've sorted through countless portable power options and came up with six of the best portable power stations to keep your smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets functioning while living off the grid.
The best overall: Jackery Explorer 1000

Jackery has been a mainstay in the portable power market for several years, and today, the company continues to set the standard. With three AC outlets, two USB-A, and two USB-C plugs, you'll have plenty of options for keeping your gadgets charged.

Read more