NASA’s Innovations: Soaring into an Electrified Flight Future

  • Reading Time:3Minutes

The aviation industry, a major player in global CO2 emissions at approximately 2.4 percent, has long grappled with the challenge of going electric. It’s an essential move, considering the escalating need to address climate change. Euronews highlights this global push towards electrification as both a challenge and an opportunity.

While electric flight has been realized to some extent, with lighter crafts such as drones reaping the benefits, passenger aircraft largely remain out of the electric loop. The crux of the problem lies in the current state of battery technology which, despite its advancement in the automotive sector, fails to meet the specific needs of aviation.

Understanding the Battery Hurdle

Lithium-ion batteries, a stalwart in electric cars and everyday devices, exhibit a fragility that restricts their application in aircraft. This vulnerability is why passengers receive the familiar instruction to avoid placing items like laptops or smartphones in checked luggage. The inherent risks tied to their composition make them unfit for an environment where safety is paramount.

Thus, the quest for a groundbreaking solution continues—and NASA may hold the answer.

Into the Realm of Solid-State Batteries

NASA, a name synonymous with space exploration and innovation, is now playing a pivotal role in this battery revolution. The organization’s Solid-state Architecture Batteries for Enhanced Rechargeability and Safety (SABERS) project seeks to supplant the liquid electrolyte chemicals used in traditional batteries (a known safety red flag) with solid-state alternatives.

What makes this innovation so groundbreaking? Solid-state batteries not only meet the stringent power and efficiency metrics required for aviation but also present an unprecedented level of safety. Unlike their predecessors, they won’t combust, even when damaged.

NASA’s prototype, a sulphur-selenium concoction, delivers an impressive 500 watt-hours of energy per kilogram—effectively doubling the energy density of its lithium-ion counterpart. The essence of an effective aircraft battery, NASA elucidates, is its ability to discharge energy rapidly—akin to emptying a large bucket swiftly. Their cutting-edge designs have achieved this at rates previously deemed unattainable.

As per Rocco Viggiano, SABERS’ principal investigator, these batteries not only slash the weight by 30-40% but can also hold two to three times more energy than today’s lithium-ion batteries.

The Flight Path Ahead

While the promise of these batteries is undeniably impressive, they come with their set of challenges. Their current production costs are steep, and rigorous testing awaits before they can be integrated into commercial aircraft.

However, hope remains high. NASA’s recent advancements in the technology are steadily chipping away at the barriers to electric flight.

Parting Thoughts

NASA’s endeavours paint a hopeful picture for the future of aviation, emphasizing that when innovation meets determination, the sky’s the limit. As the journey to a sustainable future in aviation continues, every breakthrough gets us one step closer.

Source: euronews.com

Recent article

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

The flying ambulance arrives at lightning speed

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

The electric car revolution could continue in the air

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

Unmanned aerial taxis flew in a unique formation

Electric airplane News & Articles

NASA’s Innovations: Soaring into an Electrified Flight Future

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

Could eVTOLs and Air Taxis Replace Public Transport ?

Additional aircraft News & Articles

The Morphobot: An Innovation in Multimodal Robotics

News & Articles Points of interest

The Dawn of AI Air Travel: Airbus and its Vision for Autonomy

Air taxi News & Articles

Volocopter’s High-Flying Ambitions for the Olympics

News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel

The Horizon of Aviation: Airbus’ Vision for 2035 and Beyond

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

A Shift in Aviation Licensing and Training

Drones News & Articles

Russia’s Path to Drone Supremacy

Air taxi News & Articles

Israel’s Pioneering Venture into Drone Transport

Air taxi News & Articles

More efficient air taxis in the future

Air taxi News & Articles

Testing of perhaps the most promising air taxi begins

Additional aircraft News & Articles

Navigating the Future: Autonomous Helicopters Soar High

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

Embracing the Future: Seoul’s Leap into Urban Air Mobility
More articles you may be interested in...

Air taxi News & Articles

The Coming Electric Air Taxi Revolution: Competing with Train Tickets ?

The Dutch company, Electron Aviation, is making a bold promise that is set to disrupt.......... READ MORE

News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel

Unveiling the Whisper of Innovation: CycloTech’s Exploration into CycloRotor Noise Levels

In the fast-paced realm of aeronautical engineering, the introduction of CycloRotors has heralded a paradigm.......... READ MORE

Points of interest

Sailing the Skies in Style: Airbus’s Novel Vision for Air Travel

Navigating the dawn of a fresh chapter in aviation, Airbus recently shared its audacious plans.......... READ MORE

Drones News & Articles

Boosting Agriculture: A Drone Revolution Awaits in Budapest

The stage is set in Hungary, as it stands on the brink of an exciting.......... READ MORE

News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel

Embracing the Future with Rolls-Royce’s Revolutionary UltraFan Engine

Just when you thought the apex of innovation had been reached, Rolls-Royce challenges the notion.......... READ MORE

Air taxi News & Articles

Testing of perhaps the most promising air taxi begins

For some of us, the very idea of an air taxi evokes scenes straight out.......... READ MORE

Additional aircraft News & Articles

Navigating the Future: Autonomous Helicopters Soar High

Unmanned helicopters are no longer a concept in some futuristic Sci-Fi novel. They're here, revolutionizing.......... READ MORE

EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles

Embracing the Future: Seoul’s Leap into Urban Air Mobility

In an audacious move to revolutionize its transport system, Seoul - the bustling South Korean.......... READ MORE