electric/hybrid

First flight of electric-powered passenger plane HY4 takes place in Germany

The emission-free, electric HY4 passenger plane presented at the 2016 Hannover Trade Fair in April made its maiden flight in late September.
First flight of electric-powered passenger plane HY4 takes place in Germany

The emission-free HY4 passenger aircraft, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, was developed by researchers at the German Aerospace Centre (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics in association with industrial partners and research institutions. It is a four-seater passenger aircraft that uses an electric propulsion system with most of the energy drawn from a hydrogen fuel cell. HY4 made its first, 11-minute, maiden flight from Stuttgart Airport in Germany on 29th September, following on from Siemens successful test of a lithium-ion battery powered plane engine in July.

DLR with development partners Hydrogenics, Pipistrel, H2FLY, the University of Ulm and Stuttgart Airport presented a model of the HY4 at the Hannover trade fair in April on a shared stand for hydrogen, fuel cells and batteries.

The HY4’s drive train consists of a hydrogen storage unit, a low-temperature hydrogen fuel cell and a high performance battery. The fuel cell converts the energy of the hydrogen fuel directly into electrical energy. The only waste product in the process is clean water. The electric motor uses the power generated to propel the aircraft. If the hydrogen required for the fuel cell is generated via electrolysis using power from a renewable energy source, the HY4 can fly without generating any emissions at all.

The DLR research team successfully tested the drive train in the laboratory earlier this year. In order to take off, the engine must reliably provide a maximum take-off output for three minutes. This was successfully demonstrated for more than 10 minutes. The interaction of the fuel cell and the high performance battery used as a buffer and additional safety system have also been successfully demonstrated in a simplified form in the laboratory.

Realisation of the hybrid propulsion concept for the HY4 research platform is an important milestone en route to making electric flight a reality – even for passenger transportation. At the same time, it is an example of the successful collaboration between energy and aviation researchers within DLR.

“Hybrid propulsion promises high efficiency with simultaneously low local emissions and, according to our estimates, could soon be capable of safely transporting passengers over short distances” said Rolf Henke, the DLR Executive Board Member responsible for aeronautics research. “Aircraft with greater capacities can also be envisaged in the long term. DLR is very well equipped for these challenges”.

André Thess, head of the DLR Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics, added that electrically-propelled passenger aircraft could be the critical connecting element for the development of dynamic, emission-free, networked mobility concepts for tomorrow. At the same time, advantageous effects from the synergy with ground-based electromobility systems can also be expected. Increasing global industrialisation and mechanisation will further increase the need for flexible transport carriers. In addition, the development of major population centres and megacities requires new, efficient, emission-free, networked transport carriers – within these population centres as well as in their external connections.

In light of this global development, the European Union has set the goal of simplifying, networking and speeding up travel between the Member States. Hence, in the ACARE 2050 goals, the ACARE (Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe) research network is formulating the vision of reducing door-to-door travel times within Europe to four hours and developing seamless interlinking of transport carriers. In doing so, both areas with poor infrastructure and dynamic population centres are being taken into consideration.

The DLR Institute of Technical Thermodynamics is responsible for the overall integration of the drive train and certification of the electrochemical components for use in aeronautics. The HY4 research platform will be operated by the DLR subsidiary H2FLY. HY4 is based on an efficient battery-powered electrical aircraft concept developed by the company Pipistrel. The fuel cell stacks are supplied by the company Hydrogenics, and the electric propulsion concept, the electronic output components for the hybridisation unit and the optimisation of the motor are being researched at the Institute for Energy Conversion and Storage at the University of UlmStuttgart Airport is supporting the project as a home airport.

The HY4 team are working towards a future in which such aircraft offer ‘air taxi’ services across Europe, potentially carrying up to 20 passengers per trip.

For additional information:

DLR Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics

Hydrogenics

Pipistrel

H2FLY

University of Ulm 

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