LONDON, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
- With photo
Siemens AG, Diamond Aircraft and EADS are set to present the
world's first aircraft with a serial hybrid electric drive system
at the Paris Air Show Le Bourget 2011. The two-seater motor glider
successfully completed its maiden flight on June 8 at the Wiener Neustadt airfield in
Vienna, Austria. The aircraft was
built by the three partners to test the hybrid electric drive
concept. In the future, the technology, which is intended for later
use also in large-scale aircraft, will cut fuel consumption and
emissions by 25 percent, compared to today's most efficient
aircraft drives.
Air traffic accounts for some 2.2 percent of CO2 emissions
worldwide. For this reason, aircraft, too, must become more
efficient. One possible solution - which Siemens and its partners
Diamond Aircraft and EADS are testing in the DA36 E-Star motor
glider - is to electrify the drive system.
"A serial hybrid electric drive can be scaled for a wide range
of uses, making it highly suitable for aircraft as well," said Dr.
Frank Anton, the initiator of
electric aircraft development at Siemens. "The first thing we want
to do is test the technology in small aircraft. In the long term,
however, the drive system will also be used in large-scale
aircraft. We want to cut fuel consumption and emissions by 25
percent, compared to today's most efficient technologies. This will
make air travel more sustainable."
The motor glider, which is based on Diamond Aircraft's HK36
Super Dimona, is the only aircraft of its kind in the world. It is
the first to use a so-called serial hybrid electric drive, which
has been utilised to date only in cars, as an integrated drive
train. The plane's propeller is powered by a 70kW electric motor
from Siemens.
Electricity is supplied by a small Wankel engine from Austro
Engine with a generator that functions solely as a power source. A
Siemens converter supplies the electric motor with power from the
battery and the generator. Fuel consumption is very low since the
combustion engine always runs with a constant low output of 30kW. A
battery system from EADS provides the increased power required
during takeoff and climb. The accumulator is recharged during the
cruising phase. "The serial hybrid electric drive concept makes
possible a quiet electric takeoff and a considerable reduction in
fuel consumption and emission," said Christian Dries, the owner of Diamond Aircraft.
"It also enables aircraft to cover the required long
distances."
The DA36 E-Star will be exhibited at the Paris Air Show Le
Bourget in a flight demonstration every day from June 20 to June 26, 2011.
Press pictures are available at
http://www.siemens.com/presspictures/electricaircraft
Notes to editors:
Siemens AG (Berlin and
Munich) is a global powerhouse in
electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry,
energy and healthcare sectors. For over 160 years, Siemens has
stood for technological excellence, innovation, quality,
reliability and internationality. The company is the world's
largest provider of environmental technologies. More than one-third
of its total revenue stems from green products and solutions. In
fiscal 2010, which ended on September 30,
2010, revenue from continuing operations (excluding Osram
and Siemens IT Solutions and Services) totaled €69 billion and net
income from continuing operations €4.3 billion. At the end of
September 2010, Siemens had around
336,000 employees worldwide on the basis of continuing operations.
Further information is available on the Internet at:
http://www.siemens.com.
About Siemens in the UK
Siemens was established in the United
Kingdom 168 years ago and now employs around 16,000 people
in the UK. Last year's revenues were £4.1 billion. As a leading
global engineering and technology services company, Siemens
provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world's major
challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry and
healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK,
with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company's global headquarters is
in Munich, Germany. For more
information, visit http://www.siemens.co.uk
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