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1 The E-Fan demonstrator is part of EADS on-going hybrid and electrical propulsion system research, which has seen hybrid concept studies for a full-scale helicopter, the successful development of a Cri-Cri ultralight modified as the world s first four-engine allelectric aerobatic aircraft, the demonstration flights of a hybrid electric motor glider (for which EADS Innovation Works developed the battery system) the flight testing of a short-range mini-unmanned aerial vehicle with an advanced fuel cell, and the integration of a piston diesel engine into the TANAN UAV as well as the concept study of a hybrid-electric propulsion system for this rotorcraft. EADS Innovation Works is the corporate network of research centres of EADS. A highly skilled workforce of more than 800 is operating the laboratories that guarantee EADS technical innovation potential with a focus on the long-term. The structure of the network and the teams within EADS Innovation Works are organised in global and transnational Technical Capabilities Centres: Composites technologies Metallic technologies and surface engineering Vehicle integration industrial and support processes Electronics, communication and intelligent systems Systems engineering, information technology and applied mathematics Energy and propulsion Disruptive Scenarios and Concepts Center (DSCC) EADS 473 BD&MA 06/13 EN EADS. All rights reserved. EADS Corporate Technical Office Munich Germany 12 rue Pasteur Suresnes Cedex France Contact: innovationworks@eads.net

2 E-Fan Technology demonstrator of an electrically-powered, all-composite general aviation training aircraft

3 E-FAN: THE FIRST PURPOSE-BUILT, ELECTRICALLY POWERED TRAINER AIRCRAFT Innovative propulsion system concepts for future air vehicle applications are being developed by EADS Innovation Works, the corporate research and technology arm of EADS, in partnerships with academia, electrical system suppliers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as large companies from both inside and outside the aerospace sector. These developments are part of the aerospace sector's research to support the aviation industry s ambitious environmental protection goals as spelled out in the European Commission s roadmap report called Flightpath 2050 Europe s Vision for Aviation. This report sets the targets of reducing aircraft CO 2 emissions by 75%, along with reductions of Nitrous Oxides (NOx) by 90% and noise levels by 65%, compared to standards of the year The two-seat E-Fan is particularly suited for short missions such as basic pilot training, glider towing and aerobatics, with a flight endurance of one hour for pilot training 30 minutes for aerobatics. E-Fan can bring significant benefits in terms of cost per flight hour in the general aviation domain. Small electric aircraft are seen as a key step towards introducing electric propulsion on larger aircraft. The E-Fan is a highly innovative technology demonstrator and a flying test bed, stimulating research in electric propulsion and also helping to promote the certification of electrical flight concepts. The E-Fan project is supported by the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) as well as regional government institutions in southwest France, and involves an association between EADS Innovation Works, SMEs and academia. The all-electric E-Fan training aircraft has zero carbon dioxide emissions in flight and should bring a significant reduction in noise around airfields, thus improving relations between local residents and flight schools with long-term prospects for the discreet and economical initial training of future professional pilots. EADS Innovation Works is committed to supporting SMEs in France (and elsewhere) and to investing in their local areas, in jobs and in skills. Support is therefore given to partners in further developing this demonstrator, with the aim of progressing to a fully certified commercial product and to industrialize the manufacturing of the aircraft at a competitive price as well as marketing it through appropriate distribution channels. 02

4 E-Fan Project History The E-Fan project originated during the Paris Airshow 2011, as a follow-on to the first cooperation between EADS Innovation Works and Aerocomposites Saintonge (ACS) on the Cri-Cri the world s first fully electric four engine aerobatic plane. Using the Cri-Cri as a test bed and flying laboratory, numerous performance flight tests allowed the engineers to gain experience with the integration of batteries and energy management, while research focused on energy recovery and variable propeller pitch. This work became the basis for the E-Fan project. With EADS Innovation Works responsible for the electrical system and Didier Esteyne, technical director of ACS and E-Fan designer, for all other parts of the aircraft, the E-Fan design process began in late 2011 and the final go-ahead for the technology demonstrator was given in October Since then, the E-Fan has gone through an accelerated development and construction phase to enable the aircraft's unveiling at the Paris Air Show in June The next step is to industrialize the E-Fan and to certify the aircraft for its use by aero clubs. This is expected to take three years, as current certification rules do not cover electric propulsion. The partners are working with airworthiness authorities to define the appropriate certification rules. Didier Esteyne, technical director of ACS and pilot of the all-electric Cri-Cri 03

5 E-Fan Innovations 1 Inboard profile shows the major elements of the E-Fan's allcomposite structure The E-Fan is an entirely new concept for an electric aircraft, whose design started with a clean sheet of paper. It is the first purpose-built electric powered training aircraft. All other models to date are based on existing conventionally-powered airframes; there have been no attempts to date to commercialize a fully electric aircraft. The E-Fan s aerodynamics, such as the integration of the landing gear into the fuselage for low drag, and the energy management and safety features were designed from the outset specifically for electrical propulsion. The DGAC requested that the E-Fan s flight parameters be similar to those of existing training aircraft to avoid completely new training requirements. However, the performance of the aircraft is revolutionary in terms of noise reduction, there are no CO 2 emissions in-flight and vibrations are significantly reduced compared to aircraft powered by combustion engines. The E-Fan was designed to be compatible with flight training and aeroclub requirements, such as hangar parking space and flight endurance. With electrical propulsion, there is no reduction of performance at altitude and in hot weather, no propeller torque effects and no vibration, providing a very smooth flight. As a first for an electrically powered aircraft, the E-Fan features a pyrotechnically deployed airframe parachute rescue system. 2 Plan view and cross-sections of the wing show the E-Fan's battery installation e-fadec An optimised electrical energy management system (e-fadec) is integrated into the aircraft, which automatically handles all electrical features, thereby simplifying the monitoring and controlling of the systems. The e-fadec reduces the pilots workloads, allowing the instructor and the student to fly the aircraft and focus on the training mission. Electric Motors E-Fan propulsion is provided by two electric motors with a combined power of 60 kilowatt, each driving a ducted, variable pitch fan. The duct increases the static thrust, it reduces the perceived noise and improves safety on the ground. With the engines located close to the centre-line of the aircraft, the E-Fan has very good controllability in single-engine flight.

6 1 Battery System The E-Fan s motors are powered by a series of 250 V Lithium polymer batteries made by KOKAM in the Republic of Korea. They are housed within the inboard part of the wings outside the cockpit and one provided with venting and passive cooling. Because of timing and availability constraints, off-the-shelf Lithium polymer batteries are used in the technology demonstrator, giving an endurance of between 45 min. and 1 hour. New batteries with a higher energy density will be installed later on, which will increase the endurance to up to 1 hour 30 min. The batteries can be recharged in one hour, or they can be rapidly replaced by means of a quick-change system (available on the fully certified version). An onboard 24 V electrical network supplies the avionics and the radios via a converter. A backup battery is provided for emergency landing purposes. Extensive research and stress testing has proven that the E-Fan battery system provides ample safety margins. Close monitoring of all battery cell parameters is performed during test flights. A B A C B C D 7 A B C D C 2 A B 05

7 Landing Gear Another innovation of the E-Fan is its landing gear, which consists of two electrically-actuated retractable wheels positioned fore and aft under the fuselage, plus two small wheels under the wings. The aft main wheel is driven by a 6 kilowatt electric motor providing power for taxiing and acceleration up to 60 km/h during take-off, reducing overall electrical power consumption in day-to-day operation. Taxiing and initial acceleration at take-off without the use of the fans saves energy and is completely silent. 06

8 Telemetry System The E-Fan will be equipped with a telemetry system to record all propulsion, battery and engine parameters and transmit them to a ground station. Also included are several video cameras for safety purposes to maintain contact with the pilot and to monitor flight parameters, but also for research and, not least, for the validation and certification process. In the E-Fan's flight training role the monitoring of flight parameters will ensure that comprehensive feedback can be given to the student pilot a feature that will also contribute to the development of flight training programmes. 07

9 E-Fan Institutional Financial Support The E-Fan project is receiving funding from the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (Direction Générale de l Aviation Civile, DGAC) as well as from regional government institutions in southwest France. FEDER (European Regional Development Fund) The Département Charente-Maritime The Région Aquitaine 08

10 E-FAN CORE TEAM EADS INNOVATION WORKS Aero Composites Saintonge (ACS) (Suresnes near Paris) Overall project management Development of the overall aircraft energy management system (e-fadec) Battery development support Simulations Electrical architecture and electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC) support Calculations, expertise and support for the composite structure and the manufacturing of aluminum parts, such as the landing gear and flight controls Electrical engineering experts from EADS Innovation Works, Astrium and Eurocopter supported the testing of the battery cells and battery packs at EADS Innovation Works operations in Ottobrunn near Munich and Astrium s operations in Toulouse, France. Airbus support was provided with final assembly personnel and with the design of the aircraft's livery (SME, Saint Sulpice near Royan, in the Charentes- Maritime Department) specialising in the application of composite materials, has the responsibility for: Aerodynamic studies and computer-aided design for the aircraft Wind tunnel testing Construction of all composite parts, except for the wings Construction and mechanical assembly of the landing gear and flight controls, as well as the aircraft s electrical circuits and instrument panel Static testing of the propulsion assemblies (motors, fans) Integration and final assembly of the aircraft Ground and flight tests Test pilot: Didier Esteyne 09

11 E-FAN partners CRITT MATéRIAUX (Rochefort) The Poitou-Charentes Regional Centre for Material Innovation and Technology Transfer (Centre Régional d Innovation et de Transfert de Technologie Matériaux Poitou-Charentes CRITT MPC) is an independent laboratory specialising in polymer, composite and metal materials, as well as structural bonding. CRITT MPC is responsible for the aero carbon composite project financed by the Poitou-Charentes FEDER programme, the French State and the Départment Charente Maritime and thereby in charge of calculations and structural validation testing of the E-Fan wings. CRITT Matériaux ist supported by ISAE-ENSMA, Institut Pprime and C3T. ISAE-ENSMA (Poitiers Futuroscope, Région Poitou-Charentes) The ENSMA has trained more than 5,000 high-level engineers. This training is based on world-class research, developed through numerous partnerships with leading companies in the fields of transport, mechanics and energy, specifically the aerospace sector. Institut Pprime (Poitiers Futuroscope, Région Poitou-Charentes) The Institut Pprime is a physical sciences and engineering sciences research laboratory provides scientific support for the design of the E-Fan's main spar and the wing. C3T (SME, La Rochelle) A3iP (SME, Nantes) A3IP is an electronics design office that specialises in the production (design, routing, prototyping, manufacture) of tailor-made printed circuit boards. Within the E-Fan project, A3iP is in charge of: The electrical network Assembly of battery cells Managing the battery pack monitoring Designing and manufacturing the motor controllers RFTronic (SME, Rochefort) MAPAERO Aerospace Coatings (Pamiers, Département Ariège) I n g é n i e r i e RF Tronic Ingénierie specialises in the development, manufacture and integration of on-board communication systems for civil and military applications. For the E-Fan, it is responsible for: Design and integration of the air-to-ground telemetry system and the flight data recorder Development of an analysis software to display the technical flight parameters MAPAERO is specialist in aeronautical paints and a pioneer in the development of water-based paint technology used in aeronautics. It provided the highquality paint for the E-Fan. C3 Technologies is a company whose core business is the manufacture of technical composite parts subjected to intense mechanical stresses. C3 Technologies is now one of the leading French and European suppliers of technical parts, for example, for yacht racing. Construction of spars and wings 10

12 E-FAN TECHNICal data Wing span: 9.50 m Length: 6.67 m Max. take-off weight: 550 kg Lift/drag ratio: 16 Total engine power: 60 kilowatt Battery system: 120 cells (Lithium Polymer) Battery rated capacity: 40 Ah per cell 4 Volt per cell Endurance: 45 min 1 hour Take-off speed: 110 km/h Cruise speed: 160 km/h Max. speed: 220 km/h 11