roland_berger_aircraft_electrical_propulsion.pdf

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It is not a question of if, but when It is not a question of if, but when

Aircra Electrical Propulsion –

The Next Chapter

The Next Chapter of Avia

of Aviation?

tion?

2 2 0 0 1 1 7 7 S S e e p p_t_t e e_m_m b b e e_r_r

navigating complexity

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T H E B I G

3

2 2 Think:Act Think:Act Aircraf Elec

Aircraf Electrical Protrical Propulsiopulsionn

1

8

3

3 is the year the first

is the year the first

electrically propelled aircraft

was prototyped (a battery-powered airship).

Page 4

C. 70

electrically-pr

opelled

aircraft development

programmes

were analysed by Roland Berger for this study.

Page 11

500 WH/

K

G

is the minimum

gravimetric storage capacity of

batteries

required for electrical propulsion.

Page 16

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T H E B I G

3

2 2 Think:Act Think:Act Aircraf Elec

Aircraf Electrical Protrical Propulsiopulsionn

1

8

3

3 is the year the first

is the year the first

electrically propelled aircraft

was prototyped (a battery-powered airship).

Page 4

C. 70

electrically-pr

opelled

aircraft development

programmes

were analysed by Roland Berger for this study.

Page 11

500 WH/

K

G

is the minimum

gravimetric storage capacity of

batteries

required for electrical propulsion.

Page 16

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Think:Act Think:Act

Aircraf Elec

Aircraf Electrical Prtrical Propulsioopulsionn

3

There have been consistent upward trends in the

electri-cation of aircra systems, research into Electrical Pro cation of aircra systems, research into Electrical Pro-

-pulsion, and fundamentally, a greater investment of pulsion, and fundamentally, a greater investment of money and business eort into electric aircra. Electri money and business eort into electric aircra. Electri-

-cation not only oers the capability to reduce emis cation not only oers the capability to reduce emis-

-sions, but could also unlock the potential for more sions, but could also unlock the potential for more enerener-

-gy-ecient aircra and brand new architectures and gy-ecient aircra and brand new architectures and use cases. Electrication could also revolutionise the use cases. Electrication could also revolutionise the supply base in the aerospace industry, posing an existen supply base in the aerospace industry, posing an existen-

-tial threat to incumbent suppliers and facilitating access tial threat to incumbent suppliers and facilitating access for new entrants.

for new entrants.

In this Think:Act, Roland Berger evaluates the In this Think:Act, Roland Berger evaluates the landscape and possible applications of electric air landscape and possible applications of electric air-

-cra, as well as the many technological and regula cra, as well as the many technological and regula-

-tory barriers that need to

tory barriers that need to be overcome before any sig be overcome before any sig -

-nicant change can occur. nicant change can occur.

W

We e begin begin by by discusdiscussing sing the the history history of of electelectric ric aircraaircra and the two concurrent technological trends of the and the two concurrent technological trends of the More Electric Aircra and Electrical Propulsion.

More Electric Aircra and Electrical Propulsion.

We

We then cthen charactharacterise anerise and evalud evaluate the cate the current urrent land-

land-scape of research eorts in Electrical Propulsion, con scape of research eorts in Electrical Propulsion, con-

-sidering developments in General Aviation (GA)/Recre sidering developments in General Aviation (GA)/Recre-

-ational Aircra, Urban Air Taxis, Regional/Business ational Aircra, Urban Air Taxis, Regional/Business Aircra,

Aircra, and Larand Large Comge Commerciamercial Aircral Aircra..

The barriers – technological, regulatory and mar The barriers – technological, regulatory and mar-

-ket-based – faced by

ket-based – faced by electric aircra, are then laid outelectric aircra, are then laid out as well as the advances required to pave the way to an as well as the advances required to pave the way to an electric future.

electric future.

Potential technological and regulatory changes are Potential technological and regulatory changes are then packaged into four scenarios to map the possible then packaged into four scenarios to map the possible future of electric aircra, and their implications on the future of electric aircra, and their implications on the overarching aerospace and aviation industries.

overarching aerospace and aviation industries.

Finally, we evaluate what various players in the aero Finally, we evaluate what various players in the aero-

-space & aviation industry should do to adapt to and cap space & aviation industry should do to adapt to and cap-

-italise on the trend. italise on the trend.

All indications suggest

that we may be on the

cusp of a revolution in

the aerospace and

aviation industries.

C C o o v v e e r r p p h h o o t t o o : : s s o o r r b b e e t t t t o o / / o o j j o o g g a a b b o o n n i i t t o o o o / / i i S S t t o o c c k k

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Think:Act

Aircraf Electrical Propulsion

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Before the Wright Brothers' Kitty Hawk rst ew, the rst electrically powered aircra had already been prototyped. The French chemist and aviator Tissandier – known for his daring meteorological expeditions aboard airships – attached a Siemens electric motor to a dirigible to power its propeller, achieving a rst ight in 1883.

The rise of the internal combustion engine and the subsequent invention of the gas turbine quickly moved aviation to these sources of rotative power, fuelled by oil-derivative compounds. However, in many ways, the rise of aerospace in the 20th Century has been paralleled by a similar – if not an even faster – scale up in the electri

-cation of all human activity.

In the aerospace industry, electrication has mani

-fested itself in two ways: the More Electric Aircraf

(MEA) is an evolutionary trend in which each successive generation of aircra has typically employed more elec

-trical equipment in place of systems that would previ

-ously have been mechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic,

and Electrical Propulsion, a potentially revolutionary new approach which has gained much recent publicity, and which, if adopted widely, would transform large seg

-ments of the aerospace industry, aecting not only pro

-pulsion, but also aircra systems, and leading to radi

-cally new aircra architectures.

In the subsequent section we describe the More Elec

-tric Aircra trend at a high level, before detailing the cur

-rent state of Electrical Propulsion.

THE MORE ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT

Since the dawn of the aircra era, non-propulsive aircra systems such as actuation, de-icing, and air-conditioning have been dependent on mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic sources of power. These systems have tradi

-tionally been powered by the aircra engines, with power extracted via a variety of mechanisms – hydraulic and

electric systems receive power via a mechanical transition through the engine gearbox, whilst pneumatic power is generated by engine compressor air bleed systems. In all cases almost all the power generated by the engine is used for thrust, with the non-propulsive systems consum

-ing only c. 5% of the engine's total output.

A

As modern aircra evolved, achieving tremendous increases in range, speed and capacity, the complexity of their systems increased accordingly. Whilst hydraulics are robust and can generate large forces, these systems have oen suered from a lack of reliability and high maintenance costs. Pneumatic systems, too, have the drawbacks of low eciency and, similar to hydraulic sys

-tems, miles of complex and heavy pipes and ducting running throughout an aircra. Leaks in both systems are oen dicult to locate and sometimes hard to trace and time-consuming to repair. Any interruption in nor

-mal operation may ground the aircra until the issues are resolved, generating cost and inconvenience for op

-erators and passengers alike.

On the other hand, well-designed electrically powered systems do not suer from many of the shortcomings in

-herent in hydraulic, pneumatic and mechanical systems. Electrical systems are relatively exible and light, and have higher eciency. Whilst in the 1940s the Boeing B-29 Superfortress had relatively high levels of electrica

-tion, including landing gear actua-tion, the use of electri

-cal systems for non-propulsive commercial aircra power did not fully emerge until 1967. This was the time of the rst Boeing 737 ight, which introduced electrical cabin equipment and avionics; around this period this ap

-proach was transformed into a concept now popularly known as the More Electric Aircra (MEA).

Another key milestone in the trend to move towards the MEA was the introduction of the “Fly by Wire” (FBW) system in the Airbus A320 in the late 1980s, soon followed