Five Nordic countries join forces to develop electric aircraft
2024-08-26
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Deng Yufei, Guangming Daily reporter in Helsinki
Electric aircraft are seen as the development direction of the next generation of aircraft. As countries around the world strive to achieve carbon neutrality, the low-carbon label has attracted much attention from the industry. Recently, the five Nordic countries announced a new commercial electric aircraft development plan, and traveling by electric aircraft does not seem to be far away anymore.
The picture shows the logo of the 2024 Berlin International Air Show taken in Schonefeld, Germany on June 5. Xinhua News Agency
Northern Europe has great potential for electric aviation market
The Swedish government announced on August 14 that the transport ministers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden signed a statement during the Nordic Transport Ministers' Meeting held in the Swedish city of Gothenburg that day, expressing their willingness to strengthen commercial electric aviation cooperation among Nordic countries.
In November 2022, the transport ministers of the Nordic countries promised in Fredrikstad, Norway, to establish a Nordic zero fossil fuel route by 2030 and promote the development of zero fossil fuel aviation worldwide. Andreas Carlsson, Swedish Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, said that the Fredrikstad Statement and the signed statement together laid a solid foundation for promoting cooperation in the Nordic region and the development of electric flight routes.
Since the EU certified its first electric aircraft in 2020, the electric aviation industry has flourished in the Nordic region. The Nordic region has become an "ideal testing ground" for electric aviation due to its unique geographical features and support for carbon neutrality in the transportation industry. The Nordic region has many islands and long coastlines, and has many short-haul routes with limited passenger traffic. Most of these routes are currently subsidized by the Nordic governments and operated as public services.
Short-haul routes of less than 400 kilometers are the initial target market for the development of electric aircraft in Northern Europe. Norway has a large number of such routes and may be the biggest beneficiary of the development of electric aviation.
Battery performance is the current bottleneck
According to data from the International Energy Agency, the aviation industry currently accounts for about 3% of global carbon emissions each year, equivalent to about 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. The International Air Transport Association has proposed a goal of achieving net zero emissions in the aviation industry by 2050, a goal that has attracted widespread attention around the world.
In the field of aviation carbon emission reduction, in addition to pure electric aircraft, the industry has also widely discussed technical routes such as hybrid batteries, hydrogen fuel cells and sustainable aviation fuels. Each technology has its own advantages and disadvantages in terms of production capacity, raw material supply and cost, and also faces different challenges.
Compared with traditional jet or propeller aircraft that rely on fossil fuels, electric aircraft have significant advantages in reducing carbon emissions and noise pollution. In 2020, the Velis Electro electric light sport aircraft made in Slovenia became the first fully electric aircraft to be certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency.
However, the development of electric aircraft technology has not been smooth sailing. Research on high-energy-density batteries, efficiency improvement of electric propulsion systems, and lightweight design of aircraft are all major challenges facing electric aircraft. The electric propulsion system is the core of electric aircraft and determines the power output and flight performance of the aircraft. As early as the early 20th century, electric propulsion systems had appeared in some small aircraft experiments. However, due to the limitations of the battery technology at the time, most early electric aircraft were only used for short-distance flights or experimental demonstrations.
Currently, most electric aircraft use lithium-ion batteries, which have high energy density and good cycle life. However, the energy density of lithium-ion batteries is still difficult to meet the needs of long-distance flights. In addition, the weight of the battery also directly affects the aircraft's endurance. Overweight batteries will reduce the overall efficiency of the aircraft. In 2020, when electric aircraft have become the focus of global investment and technology discussions, many engineers pointed out that with existing technology, an Airbus A320 aircraft can only complete a 30-minute flight even if it is equipped with a battery of the same size as the aircraft.
In order to solve the problem of insufficient battery performance, researchers from various countries are exploring a variety of new battery technologies. Solid-state batteries have attracted much attention due to their higher energy density and safety, while hydrogen fuel cells are considered to be a potential solution for the future because they can provide longer battery life. According to an analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation, the current energy density of batteries needs to be doubled to achieve the short-distance flight goals set by many companies. But even if this breakthrough can be achieved, its impact on carbon neutrality is unlikely to be immediate. It is estimated that by 2050, the carbon emissions reduced by replacing traditional aircraft with electric aircraft will not exceed 1%.
Commercial exploration just started
Currently, many startups and aviation giants around the world are actively promoting the commercialization of electric aircraft. Among them, European companies such as Lilium and Vertical Aerospace are leading the industry. Germany's Lilium has successfully raised funds and plans to start mass production in the next few years. The head of the company said that Europe is indeed in the leading position in the field of electric aviation, but European countries should invest more to ensure that they do not lose their technological leadership.
In Northern Europe, Swedish Heart Aerospace has launched an electric aircraft called the ES Series. This is a short-haul regional aircraft designed for regional flights, capable of fully electric flight within a range of 400 kilometers, and is expected to start operations in 2026. The Swedish government is working with the Åland Islands in Finland to explore the possibility of promoting the use of the ES-30 electric regional aircraft in the Baltic Sea region.
The Åland Islands are located at the southern end of the Gulf of Bothnia between Sweden and Finland, making them an ideal market for the ES-30 electric aircraft. The ES-30 electric aircraft is expected to have a range of 200 kilometers in full electric mode, 400 kilometers in extended mode with 30 passengers, or 800 kilometers when the passenger capacity is reduced to 25 people, which can basically meet the needs of short-distance navigation in the region.
Sweden and Finland also plan to develop sustainable air services around the Åland Islands, connecting the archipelago with major cities such as Stockholm, Helsinki and Turku via electric routes. The implementation of this plan could provide an important test case for future sustainable air transport models.
Nordic countries also need to upgrade their airport infrastructure in order to transition to electric aviation. Several reports point out that even Sweden, which is at the forefront of electric aviation, still needs to improve its airports. In addition, since the cost of travel is what people are most concerned about, the label of "sustainable transportation" alone is not enough to attract more people to choose electric aircraft as a means of travel.
(Guangming Daily, Helsinki, August 25)
Guangming Daily (12th edition, August 26, 2024)
Source: Guangming Daily
