Daher, Safran and Airbus, have released some details on the results from the test flights of their distributed hybrid-electric propulsion aircraft demonstrator EcoPulse.
Airbus said the collaborative project has provided experience in the design, certification, production, and operation of hybrid-electric aircraft and insights into the decarbonisation of air transport by 2050.
In a statement, Jean-Baptiste Manchette, head of propulsion of tomorrow at Airbus said, “This EcoPulse campaign allows us to advance certain hybrid-electric technologies, such as high-voltage batteries, and integrate them into future aircraft, helicopters, and air mobility solutions.
“With distributed electric propulsion, we achieved our goal of modeling flight physics and energy management at the aircraft level, key elements for shaping the next generation of aircraft.”
Since its maiden flight in 2023, EcoPulse has accumulated 100 flight hours and performed 50 test flights with the distributed hybrid propulsion system, the last of which occurred in July 2024.
These tests demonstrated onboard electric power levels for distributed electric propulsion, with a network voltage of approximately 800V DC and a power output of 350kW.
According to Airbus, the flight tests yielded significant findings, including an objective evaluation of hybridization technologies’ maturity, a performance assessment when integrated into the aircraft, and an identification of operational limitations.
The tests showed that the synchrophasing of the ePropellers (electric motors) can reduce interior noise. This synchrophasing is an additional benefit of the flight control computer, which is primarily designed to maneuver the aircraft by adjusting the distribution of electric power among the ePropellers — substituting traditional control surfaces.
More broadly, EcoPulse identified key challenges in decarbonizing aviation:
- Electric and hybrid-electric architectures
- Development of key components: batteries (performance and operational range) and high-voltage management systems (greater than 400V)
- Pilot assistance with specialized interfaces
- Demonstration logic for airworthiness
- Optimization of weight and noise
- Skills associated with managing complexity
The flight test campaign laid the groundwork for compliance documents to meet regulatory requirements for hybrid-electric propulsion flights, establishing the basis for certifying the safety of innovative aircraft configurations.
“We are particularly pleased with the success of the EcoPulse program and its results. This was the first time we tested a complete hybrid-electric propulsion system in flight, and these trials represented a significant milestone in our technology roadmap,” said Eric Dalbiès, senior vice president of strategy and chief technology officer at Safran. “The lessons learned enable us to continue validating decarbonization technologies.”
