Airbus's chief technology officer Pauls El Monte reported recently that Airbus will work with German Siemens AG and British engine maker Rolls-Royce to jointly develop electric hybrid electric vehicles for commercial aircraft The engine, the so-called 'E-Fan X', is expected to make its first test flight in 2020.
Ellermont said the E-Fan X represents a significant step forward for electric aircraft in the foreseeable future, and believes hybrid electric engines are a reliable technology for the aviation industry in the future, and Airbus will work with Siemens , Rolls - Royce work together to create this technology.
The partners plan to replace a conventional engine with an electric hybrid engine on a 4-engine BAe 146 business aircraft and replace it with another after a good test result has been achieved. The megawatt-class electric engine is manufactured by Siemens and is powered by a generator Made by Rolls-Royce.
Siemens and Airbus have been working with Ottobrunn in Munich, Germany, since April 2016 on the development of an electric engine for small aircraft, called the 'Air Taxi.' Currently, the project is still on the ground. In October 2017, a startup in Seattle, USA, announced that it will develop an electric hybrid engine for small commercial aircraft in 2022. The project will receive venture capital investments from Boeing and Blue Line, Airbus's project is seen as competing with the U.S. electric aircraft program.
