Über-efficient small plane makes Paris debut

A one-of-a-kind airplane with a hybrid electric drive designed to reduce fuel consumption is making its public debut this week at the Paris Air Show Le Bourget 2011.

The two-seat motor glider had a successful maiden flight on June 8 in Vienna.

Developed by Siemens, Diamond Aircraft and EADS, the DA36 E-Star serves as a test for a technology that engineers eventually hope to use in larger aircraft to make flying more efficient. The electric drive system could cut fuel consumption by 25 percent, which could also help make a big dent in global airplane-related carbon dioxide emissions.

Air travel currently accounts for 2.2 percent of the world’s carbon emissions.

“A serial hybrid electric drive can be scaled for a wide range of uses, making it highly suitable for aircraft as well,” said Frank Anton, the initiator of electric aircraft development at Siemens. “The first thing we want to do is test the technology in small aircraft. In the long term, however, the drive system will also be used in large-scale aircraft. We want to cut fuel consumption and emissions by 25 percent, compared to today’s most efficient technologies. This will make air travel more sustainable.”

The DA36 E-Star  is the first to use a so-called serial hybrid electric drive, until now found only in cars, as an integrated drive train.

“The serial hybrid electric drive concept makes possible a quiet electric takeoff and a considerable reduction in fuel consumption and emission,” said Christian Dries, the owner of Diamond Aircraft. “It also enables aircraft to cover the required long distances.”

Engineers will next work to further optimize the entire drive train. Siemens scientists are currently working on a new electric motor that is expected to be five times lighter than conventional drives. In two years, another aircraft is expected to be equipped with an ultra-light electric drive.