It is for sure that those who start developing new electric technology, for instance, planes and drones, will be the ones to lead the pathway toward an innovative future.
Electric mobility is now developed for many terrestrial transportations means, but now the challenge is to gradually make electric technology advances in the aeronautical industry, such as delivery drones or air taxis, and focusing mainly on drop pollution risks and to diminish congestion in urban areas.
Electrically operated aircraft is one possibility to meet these targets. Why?
· Electrically-driven aircraft are notably beneficial for the environment, as they are much efficient, greener, cleaner, and quieter than all models since they count on low-noise electric motors, so there’s no need for bans on night-time flying.
· Mail order enterprises use drones to deliver packages to customers.
· The metropolitan area of the future will be cleaner.
· They are entirely CO2-neutral if the electricity comes from renewable sources.
· The emissions from one-person aircraft diminished due to continuous amendments.
· No CO2 or other emissions are produced in the course of transference.
· Rush-hour traffic will be alleviated.
· The future flying taxi will be quieter and with no emissions.
· There will be transfer terminals to the hybrid aircraft.
· Electric motors are less likely to breakdowns, as they depend only on few components and do not need oil.
· They require not as much maintenance, as these systems also grant the necessary rotating force in any situation to enable safer flights.
· High fuel prices and strict regulations boost the electrification of aircraft.
What are the predictions for electrification and autonomy in commercial aviation?
Many countries are setting the pace to the developing of new technologies around electrification and autonomy in commercial aviation, like the USA, Germany, China, the UK, among others. Talking about the UK, the Government is about to fund millions of pounds into an electric plane and drones to alleviate the bottleneck in the city of London. This financial support has the intention to equal the private sector.
Electric aircraft, such as “multicopter” will soon be in our areal space. These electrical aircrafts supply energy from an aboard battery charge with electricity. Larger aircraft designed for more than 15 people still relies on a second energy source. Others, such as drones fly entirely with power.
However, the overall number of passengers and flights will escalate to a large extent. So, better devices have to be designed, because Aviation is responsible for about 2.4 per cent of all CO2 emissions worldwide, while emitting nitric oxide, water vapour, and fine particulates as well, affecting not only our health but causing significant impact on the environment; therefore, the primary target of the Aviation industry is to reduce emissions by approximately 75 per cent.
There is a lot we will still see in this area in the coming years; for instance, batteries more efficient and smaller. In 2025, we could also anticipate an electric and hybrid aircraft in the air, like larger aircraft, and then, in some years ahead, boarding an electric aeroplane with no emissions or noise, and fly to any part of the world will be a common practice.
Many countries are already electrifying big numbers of automobiles, so it is not surprising that the next step will be the production of electric air taxis operated by a pilot, but soon the operation will be completely autonomous. Then will come the time for electric “multicopters” which will not only transport goods, but also passengers, and the operation of the aircraft will be done effortlessly with one or two joysticks. A UK car maker is manufacturing a hybrid electric drone with a gas turbine that will produce the power. By 2025, these electric air taxis will be for multiple passengers and could be ready for serial production.
Moreover, the distance that the electric air taxis can fly will be developed to fit city traffic and fly faster and further, and designed to transport several passengers. A hybrid regional jet with room for more passengers, which takes off and lands vertically, could be used in urban areas as a flying bus.
Currently, many aircraft manufacturers are working on an aircraft that can generate electricity during the flight. These hybrid models could save fuel consumption by about a quarter. Other developers are researching an aircraft that obtains its energy from solar cells on the wings. The weight and the noise emitted by an aeroplane is also a significant issue for aircraft manufacturers.
Regulation to cope with electric air traffic in the future
Nowadays, the drones we see in the air are mainly unmanned. Therefore, it is urgent to make it clear how Aviation authorities will regulate it if excessive number of private transport and taxi drones are in the air at the same time. There is a need for extra-safety regulations, such as on traffic routes and landing sites. Many electric air taxis will fly autonomously, complicating, even more, the whole scenario. The authorities will then have to enforce laws about minimum distances to counteract collisions.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (IACO) has agreed to allow those companies that emit less CO2 to buy emission units and sell these savings to another airline. Noise emitted from takeoff and landing aeroplanes must also be regulated, as it is the moment in which they are more prone to noise pollution.
In the coming years, they could take off from small landing sites, as rising into the sky vertically. It could be followed by regional flights of up to 1,200 kilometres; sooner than we think, large-scale individual air traffic will be possible only with electronic drones and air taxis.
Recreational drones can cause risks both to manned and to uncrewed aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the USA declares it gets more than 100 reports a month of unmanned aircraft detections and has allowed the use of delivery drones under severe circumstances; however, they are not allowed in populated areas. There are some countries where this disposition is not granted yet.
CONCLUSIONS: Electric aviation begins with delivery drones. Amazon, DHL, UPS, Boeing, JD.com are some of the many companies using e-drones for parcel services. Now is the time for an evolution toward electric flying! These cutting-edge technologies open up new proportions in speed, power, precision and flight times.
Dave Food
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