The Beha hybrid electric plane

 From The Guardian.

In the shadows of the old Spitfires and Hurricanes that helped win the Battle of Britain, Faradair, a UK startup operating from the historic Duxford airfield, is hoping to help Britain fight the new war against climate change by developing a revolutionary 18-seat bioelectric hybrid plane which will eventually, hopes its designer, be carbon neutral.

The plane, currently in development, will use electric motors to power take-off and landing, the part of any flight with the highest noise and carbon emissions. Once cruising, at a speed of about 230mph, the plane will switch to its turbogenerator, powered by biofuel, which will also recharge the motors with assistance from solar panels, ready for the aircraft’s descent.

The short-hop bio electric hybrid aircraft (Beha), the first aircraft produced since the 1920s to have a three-winged box design, will be able to operate cargo, passenger and special operation flights. It will have a palletised interior, allowing it to be converted from passenger to cargo use in just 15 minutes.

Working with a consortium of partners to deliver 300 of the planes by 2030, Faradair chief executive Neil Cloughley admits that it might not be “the sleekest, the sexiest, nor the fastest, the highest or the furthest flying aircraft”, but believes it will prove itself in other ways. The aircraft will sell itself based on its low emissions, minimal operating costs and versatility.

With a ducted fan and a box wing design, the Beha will trade higher speed for lower noise emissions and greater lift. The company hopes its ultra-quiet plane will be able to operate from airports such as London City, which have noise related night-time flight bans. Its wing is designed to generate huge amounts of lift, which will allow it to operate from runways that are shorter than 1,000ft (300 metres), despite the heavy battery technology on board.

The wing is also designed with future technologies in mind. Faradair says the space between each wing would be the perfect place to locate more efficient batteries of the future, with the additional benefit of natural cooling from the passing air.

“All electric wasn’t going to be possible straight off the bat,” he said. “The power density simply isn’t there for anything of any meaningful size. That means that we have to go hybrid; it means that sustainable aviation fuels [SAFs] will be the ideal.”

SAFs can be made from a wide variety of materials such as waste oils, surplus food and feedstock. The main benefit is that they recycle existing carbon, rather than releasing new carbon. However, this is still a new industry and SAFs currently form just 6% of global jet fuel. In its Destination 2050 report, Europe’s aviation sector said this could rise to more than 80% by 2030, but that this would require “strong political support”.

See my other posts about electric planes and carbon-neutral jet fuel.