Not only are cars changing in technology to accommodate more “green” tech but it seems that other vehicles too are headed in the same direction. Then again, trains have been electric for a while now but its good to see more and more people are looking into other ways of propulsion.
Researchers at Cambridge have published online their latest work on an aircraft with a parallel hybrid engine. This is the first plane to be able to recharge it batteries whilst flying in the air and they have successfully tested the aircraft in the UK.
“Although hybrid cars have been available for more than a decade, what’s been holding back the development of hybrid or fully-electric aircraft until now is battery technology,” said Paul Robertson of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering. “Until recently, they have been too heavy and didn’t have enough energy capacity. But with the advent of improved lithium-polymer batteries, similar to what you’d find in a laptop computer, hybrid aircraft – albeit at a small scale – are now starting to become viable.”
The aircraft uses 30% less fuel compared to an aircraft of a similar size which uses just a petrol engine.
The aircraft uses a combination of a 4-stroke piston engine and an electric motor / generator, coupled through the same drive pulley to spin the propeller. During take-off and climb, when maximum power is required, the engine and motor work together to power the plane, but once cruising height is reached, the electric motor can be switched into generator mode to recharge the batteries or used in motor assist mode to minimise fuel consumption. The same principle is at work in a hybrid car.
Find out more about their research over here.
