Written by Rajesh Kumar Singh
EVENDALE, Ohio (Reuters) – General Electric Aerospace is developing a hybrid electric motor that it hopes will power the next generation of narrow-body aircraft by the middle of the next decade.
While this technology is still being tested, if GE succeeds, it could produce aircraft with hybrid engines – such as the Toyota (NYSE:) The Prius of the Sky – would go a long way toward reducing carbon emissions from the worldwide aviation industry, half of which come from single-aisle planes.
Hybrid cars are common on the roads, but decarbonizing the aviation industry is more difficult. In hybrid engines, the aircraft uses several sources of energy during flight. Airbus estimates that the combination of energy sources – jet fuel or sustainable aviation fuel with electricity – reduces fuel consumption by up to 5% compared to a normal flight.
GE Aerospace is working with NASA on a project that will integrate electric motors or generators into a high-bypass turbine engine to supplement power during different phases of operation, company executives said.
The company said on Wednesday that it had completed initial tests of the hybrid components and a basic test of the engine. It then plans to test the components and motor together.
The global aviation industry has set a goal of cutting emissions to zero by 2050. But technologies such as electric aircraft and hydrogen-powered aircraft remain unproven, making decarbonization a huge challenge for the industry, which generates about 2% of global emissions.
Developing more fuel-efficient engines to reduce emissions is a new challenge for the aviation industry. Environmental critics have said the industry's zero-flying goals are unrealistic, and have argued that the only way to reach them is to dramatically reduce flying globally.
The hybrid engine program is one of several projects GE Aerospace is pursuing to develop more fuel-efficient technology.
In partnership with France saffron (EPA:), General Electric is testing key elements of an open-blade jet engine for the next generation of medium-range jets that will be able to reduce fuel use and emissions by 20% starting in the middle of the next decade.
GE's rival RTX is also working on a demonstration of hybrid electric technology that combines a thermal engine with an electric motor, with the aim of improving fuel efficiency by 30%.