Hybrid Aircraft for Improved Off-Design Performance and Reduced Emissions

Abstract

The exceptionally high efficiency of electric motors makes them an enabler for flexible hybrid energy management, which can be used to optimize off-design aircraft operation, such as taxi and descent. The off-design operation contributes to a significant part of the global fuel usage of air transport vehicles as well as to the NOx emissions around airports. Thus, a hybrid chain designed for efficient idle operation could be an economical short-term solution for reduced global environmental impact. This paper focuses on providing and assessing such a design using a conventional 165-PAX-class transonic airliner with an assumed entry into service year of 2035 as a baseline.