The environmentally friendly aircraft was designed and built by University of Cambridge and Boeing specialists

Dec 23, 2014 14:03 GMT  ·  By

By now, we're all too familiar with hybrid cars and trucks. As it turns out, it is only a matter of time until hybrid aircraft, that is planes powered by electricity and conventional fuels, become a common sight as well.

Thus, this December 23, scientists with the University of Cambridge in the UK announced that, together with Boeing specialists, they designed, built and even successfully tested a hybrid aircraft.

The plane in question, featured in the video and in the photo gallery below, is kept up in the air and moving by an electric motor and a petrol engine working together to drive the aircraft's propeller.

An eco-friendly plane through and through

In a report documenting their work, the scientists who participated in this project detail that the electric motor and the petrol engine that power this plane form a so-called parallel hybrid-electric propulsion system.

During takeoff, the electric motor and the petrol engine work together to help the plane leave the ground and reach the desired altitude. When up in the air, the electric motor can serve as a generator and charge the plane's batteries.

What this means is that this single-seat aircraft put together by University of Cambridge scientists with the help of American multinational corporation Boeing can recharge its batteries while flying around.

If not put to work recharging the aircraft's batteries, the electric motor can simply be left to power the plane together with the petrol engine. Doing so considerably reduces fuel consumption, the researchers who worked on this project explain.

It is understood that, thanks to its parallel hybrid-electric propulsion system, this single-seat aircraft requires some 30% less fuel than a run-of-the-mill plane of a similar size.

Hence, should this technology be employed on a wider scale, there is little doubt that the global air travel industry would manage to significantly cut down its annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Just to put things into perspective, it need be said that, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the air travel industry currently accounts for about 2% of all global man-made carbon dioxide emissions.

So far, the plane put together by this team of specialists has only completed a few flight tests at the Sywell Aerodrome near Northampton, UK. During these tests, it reached a height of 1,500 feet (some 460 meters).

The scientists plan to continue experimenting with it and carry out plenty of other flight tests in the months to come. The end goal is to find a way to further boost the aircraft's performance in the air and its fuel economy.

Why is it taking this long to make hybrid planes?

The University of Cambridge and Boeing experts say that hybrid planes are yet to emerge as a noteworthy alternative to conventional ones because of existing battery technologies.

Thus, they show that, until not too long ago, existing batteries were simply too heavy and did not have enough capacity to be added to planes and actually serve to help get them off the ground and keep them airborne.

The good news is that, by the looks of it, considerable progress has been made in recent years. In fact, it is believed that it will not be long until hybrid planes start gaining some much needed popularity.

“Although hybrid cars have been available for more than a decade, what’s been holding back the development of hybrid or fully-electric aircraft until now is battery technology. Until recently, they have been too heavy and didn’t have enough energy capacity.”

“But with the advent of improved lithium-polymer batteries, similar to what you’d find in a laptop computer, hybrid aircraft – albeit at a small scale – are now starting to become viable,” says University of Cambridge researcher Dr. Paul Robertson.

Hybrid aircraft uses 30% less fuel than conventional ones (5 Images)

Hybrid plane is powered by an electric motor and a petrol engine
When in flight, the electric motor can recharge the plane's batteriesIt can also help keep the aircraft up in the air
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