Compiled of four new aircraft concepts using renewable energy propulsion technologies ..
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer have announced a family of four new concept aircrafts that it is exploring to help the industry achieve its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 with the new the Energia family line.
The company has partnered with an international consortium of engineering universities, aeronautical research institutes, and small and medium-sized enterprises to better understand energy harvesting, storage, thermal management and their applications for sustainable aircraft propulsion.
The Energia Family is comprised of four concept aircraft of varying sizes that incorporate different propulsion technologies – electric, hydrogen fuel cell, dual fuel gas turbine, and hybrid-electric.
The four Energia Family concepts are:
Energia Hybrid (E9-HE) Energia Electric (E9-FE)
. hybrid-electric propulsion . full electric propulsion
. up to 90% CO2 emissions reduction . zero CO2 emissions
. 9 seats . 9 seats
. rear-mounted engines . aft contra-rotating propellers
. technology readiness –2030 . technology readiness – 2035
Energia H2 Fuel Cell (E19-H2FC) Energia H2 Gas Turbine(E50-H2GT)
. hydrogen electric propulsion . hydrogen or SAF/JetA turbine
. zero CO2 emissions . up to 100% CO2 emissions reduction
. 19 seats . 35 to 50 seats
. rear-mounted electric engines . rear-mounted engines
. technology readiness – 2035 . technology readiness – 2040
Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer's Sr. VP of Engineering, Technology and Corporate Strategy, explained the rationale for the Energia family. "We see our role as a developer of novel technologies to help the industry achieve its sustainability targets. There's no easy or single solution in getting to net zero. New technologies and their supporting infrastructure will come online over time. We're working right now to refine the first airplane concepts, the ones that can start reducing emissions sooner rather than later. Small aircraft are ideal on which to test and prove new propulsion technologies so that they can be scaled up to larger aircraft. That's why our Energia family is such an important platform."
Although the Energia airplanes are still on the drawing board, Embraer has already made advances in reducing emissions from its aircraft. It has tested drop-in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), mixes of sugarcane and camelina plant-derived fuel and fossil fuel, on its family of E-Jets. The company is targeting to have all Embraer aircraft SAF-compatible by 2030. Last August, Embraer flew its Electric Demonstrator, a single-engine EMB-203 Ipanema, 100% powered by electricity. A full electric demonstrator flew this year, a hydrogen fuel cell demonstrator is planned for 2025 and the company's eVTOL, a fully-electric, zero-emissions vertical take off and landing vehicle, is being developed to enter service in 2026.
