After extensive testing and successful flights, the EcoPulse purpose-built hybrid electric aircraft proved its potential to change aviation as we know it. Thanks to the hard work of the companies behind its development, we might just be one step closer to quiet, fuel-efficient, and eco-friendly air travel.
EcoPulse
Created by leading aerospace companyAirbus, advanced technology group Safran, and aircraft manufacturer Daher, theEcoPulsedemonstrator is an aircraft based on Dahmer’s TBM 900 turboprop, and was designed to test the perks of hybrid-electric propulsion.
What makes it different is itsdistributedhybrid-electric propulsion—instead of one large engine, it works with several smaller engines that are spread along its wings. Its purpose? To determine if this system could make planes quieter, more fuel efficient, and environmentally friendly.
Testing EcoPulse
Over an eight-month period beginning November 2023, the companies put the EcoPulse through 50 test flights, totaling about 100 hours in the air. These flights studied how well the hybrid-electric system worked, focusing on aerodynamics, efficiency, and noise reduction.
The results showed that this new system has great potential for future aircraft designs. Jean-Baptiste Manchette, the head of Propulsion of Tomorrow atAirbus, stressed the importance of flight testing, with Daher’s head of aircraft design, Christophe Robin, adding that “real conditions never lie.”
Collaborative Project
Airbus,Safran, and Daher started working on this project more than five years ago, each playing a crucial role. Safran developed the hybrid-electric propulsion system, including six small electric propellers on the wings, while Daher made the necessary modifications and handled flight testing.
Airbus designed the flight control system, and provided a battery system powerful enough to run the propellers. The battery can deliver 350 kw of power, helping the plane fly more efficiently.
EcoPulse Battery Importance
By far the most important part of the EcoPulse’s success is the battery. Manchette stated that the companies are focusing on mastering its design and manufacture, and flight clearance.
Robin explained that while light aircraft usually have 28-volt batteries and commercial planes use 115-volt AC, the EcoPulse packs an impressive 800 volts DC, which, in his words, is “a completely different story.”
Image Credit:Airbus
