Airbus has unveiled its plans for bringing the world's first zero-emission commercial aircraft into service by 2035.
Airbus is building and testing alternative propulsion systems powered by electric, hydrogen and/or solar technology to enable the aviation industry to disruptively reduce the CO2 emissions of commercial aircraft, helicopters, satellites and future urban air mobility vehicles.
The narrow body replacement.
The first design is a turbofan aircraft with a range of around 2,000 nautical miles. Airbus says this aircraft would be powered by a modified gas-turbine engine, operating entirely on hydrogen as an alternative to jet fuel.
The aircraft would be perfect for transcontinental missions, seating around 120 up to 200 passengers. The planemaker says that the fuel – liquid hydrogen – would be safely stored in tanks behind the rear pressure bulkhead. It could be the A320 successor the world needs.
The regional turbo prop.
Like the narrowbody, this aircraft would be fueled by hydrogen via modified gas-turbine engines. The propulsion would rely on combustion of the hydrogen fuel.This aircraft is targeted to regional markets with a capacity of around 100 passengers.
The breakout concept.
Airbus has presented the blended wing concept aircraft as the third zero emissions idea. The aircraft is to have a seating up to 200 passengers. Airbus says that the wide fuselage would present more options for hydrogen storage and distribution, as well as making some interesting possibilities for cabin design.
Electric flight
Airbus’s all electric, twin-propeller aircraft E-Fan successfully crossed the English Channel in 2015. The electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) demonstrator projects, Vahana and CityAirbus, have completed many hours of rigorous and comprehensive flight testing programmes to ensure safety and high performance.
E-Fan X, the successor to E-Fan that is 30-times more powerful than its predecessor, has provided invaluable insights on serial hybrid-electric propulsion.
You can read more on airbus program here: https://www.airbus.com/innovation/zero-emission.html
Source: Airbus , SimpleFlying