Embraer has begun a flight test campaign of its electric demonstrator aircraft, a single-engine prop-driven aircraft, as it continues to set its sights on zero-carbon emissions.
The demonstrator was developed to evaluate new technologies and solutions that enable 100 percent electric and more sustainable aeronautical propulsion. The company said its first manned flights of the aircraft, conducted at Embraer’s facility in Brazil, primarily focused on evaluating:
- Power
- Performance
- Control
- Thermal management
- Operational safety
The goal is to demonstrate real flight conditions through results obtained from computational simulations, lab tests, and ground integration of technology, which have taken place since the second half of 2019.
The project uses an electric powertrain system from Brazilian electric engineering company WEG and a set of batteries funded by Brazilian private energy firm EDP. The batteries were integrated into an EMB-203 Ipanema, an aircraft that forms part of Embraer’s history. In 2004, it became the world’s first aircraft certified and produced in series to fly on fuel from a renewable source (ethanol).
“The first flight of an aircraft is always an important milestone, and the takeoff of our first zero-emission electric aircraft also represents the relevant contribution of our teams and partners to the energy transition of the sector,” said Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer vice president of engineering, technology development and corporate strategy.
“We are committed to seeking solutions to enable the future of a more sustainable aviation and innovation will play a key role in this journey.”
Embraer says testing of the electric demonstrator aircraft will allow the company to develop innovative new products in line with its search for a sustainable future. As part of that effort, the company’s urban air mobility company, Eve, is also developing an electric vertical landing and take-off aircraft.
The first flight of the Eve eVTOL within the engineering simulator took place in Brazil at the EmbraerX facility in June 2020, and full-scale aircraft flights are planned for later in 2021.
