Embraer has unveiled a new family of concept aircraft that it is exploring to help the industry achieve its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Embraer has partnered with an international consortium of engineering universities, aeronautical research institutes, and small and medium-sized enterprises to better understand energy harvesting, storage, thermal management and their applications for sustainable aircraft propulsion.
Do you may ask what is the Energia Family? Basically, the Energia Family is comprised of 4 concept aircraft of varying sizes that incorporate different propulsion technologies:
- Electric
- Hydrogen Fuel Cell
- Dual Fuel Gas Turbine
- Hybrid-Electric
Energia Hybrid (E9-HE):
- Hybrid-Electric Propulsion
- It will have 9 seats
- Up to 90% CO2 emissions reduction
- Rear-mounted engines
- Technology Readiness – 2030
Energia Electric (E9-FE):
- Full Electric Propulsion
- It will have 9 seats
- Zero CO2 emissions
- Aft contra-rotating propeller
- Technology Readiness – 2035
Energia H2 Fuel Cell (E19-H2FC):
- Hydrogen Electric Propulsion
- It will have 19 seats
- Zero CO2 emissions
- Rear-mounted electric engines
- Technology Readiness – 2035
Energia H2 Gas Turbine (E50-H2GT):
- Hydrogen or SAF/JetA turbine propulsion
- It will have 35 to 50 seats
- Up to 100% CO2 emissions reduction
- Rear-mounted engines
- Technology Readiness – 2040
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Luis Carlos Affonso, Senior Vice President of Engineering, Technology and Corporate Strategy, Embraer, said:
We see our role as a developer of novel technologies to help the industry achieve its sustainability targets. There’s no easy or single solution in getting to net zero. New technologies and their supporting infrastructure will come online over time. We’re working right now to refine the first airplane concepts, the ones that can start reducing emissions sooner rather than later. Small aircraft are ideal on which to test and prove new propulsion technologies so that they can be scaled up to larger aircraft. That’s why our Energia family is such an important platform.
Arjan Meijer, President and CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation, said:
We will see a big transformation in our industry towards a more sustainable aviation. With 50 years’ experience in developing, certifying and supporting regional aircraft, Embraer is in a unique position to make viable the introduction of new disruptive green technologies.
The aircraft manufacturer says that each aircraft is being evaluated for its technical and subsequent commercial viability.
Although the Energia airplanes are still on the drawing board, Embraer says that it has already made advances in reducing emissions from its aircraft. It has tested drop-in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), mixes of sugarcane and camelina plant-derived fuel and fossil fuel, on its family of E-Jets. The company is targeting to have all Embraer aircraft SAF-compatible by 2030. Additionally, in August 2021, Embraer flew its Electric Demonstrator, a single-engine EMB-203 Ipanema, 100% powered by electricity. A hydrogen fuel cell demonstrator is planned for 2025 and the company’s eVTOL, a fully electric, zero-emissions vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, is being developed to enter service in 2026.
Featured image by Embraer
All the other images by Embraer
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