Electric planes have a chance to reduce the aviation industry's carbon footprint thanks to the rapid development of rechargeable batteries in the Automotive Battery Technologies Market. Before the end of this decade, a plane carrying several dozen passengers will be able to fly electric for up to 500 kilometers. Without carbon emissions and condensation trails, travel will be quieter.

Short domestic flights and flight-training aircraft are demonstrating the technology, but electric long-haul flights are unlikely in the next few decades. The two-seat Velis Electro, which is used for pilot training, is one of several electric planes already in use in the commercial sector. In addition, it is anticipated that the range of e-planes will expand, similar to how electric cars have developed over the past few years.

Eindhoven Airport, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Groningen Airport, and Maastricht Aachen Airport collaborate on Power Up, an innovation project based in the Netherlands. Power Up is researching the possibility of environmentally friendly electric flight with the assistance of Royal Schiphol Group and the Netherlands Aerospace Centre.

A robust, user-friendly charging system must be available before any commercial flights can take place. The advantage here is that major infrastructure like airport buildings and runways already exists, as opposed to creating an electric train network. Additionally, solar panels can be installed on the roofs of these buildings to generate renewable energy.

NRG2fly, a start-up with serious engineering credentials, is pioneering the electric charging system and working with first-movers airports and electric aircraft manufacturers. Along with Jeroen Kroonen, a pioneer in sustainable mobility, Maarten Steinbuch, scientific director at Eindhoven Engine and Distinguished Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology, recently formed the company; together with Jurjen de Jong, who established the "green tech" businesses Green Future Management and GreenFlux and has extensive expertise in eMobility and renewable energy.

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According to Professor Steinbuch, significant progress is being made in the Netherlands toward the transition to electric planes. The electric vehicle industry has made this transition possible. He says, "We have a lot of activities in our region that are related to batteries, battery management, and new battery types." A Battery Competence Centre can be found on our automotive campus in Helmond, which is located in the Brainport region. Electric flying is merely a new limb in our already extensive effort to electrify transportation.

Steinbuch explains that solutions to issues like heat propagation, optimizing battery capacity, and lifecycle analysis have already been found. Also, think about how people are educated. Not only do you need mechanics to convert a fleet of aircraft to electric power, but you also need electrical engineers and ICT specialists."

When it comes to high-tech technological advancements, the Netherlands' Brabant province is well-known as a bustling hub. The electric transition is also progressing, with the Triple Helix—a partnership between business, educational institutions, and the government—creating opportunities and driving economic success in the region. The right experience and skills to make advancements are already in the area thanks to a workforce that is educated locally.

In addition, Brabant has demonstrated that its high-tech ecosystem is a highly effective incubator for new mobility businesses, resulting in the international success of companies like Lightyear and PAL-V. Technical talent and businesses are working together to develop new e-mobility solutions with the goal of creating an industry that is ready for the future.

In addition, a number of well-known aerospace companies have set up shop in Brabant to support the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) activities for the European F-35 program and the Royal Netherlands Air Force (NLAF). However, these businesses are also involved in a number of non-military innovation projects pertaining to aircraft electrification.

Brabant is an ideal location for facilitating the value chain for electric aviation thanks to its strong high-tech cross-sectoral ecosystem, cooperation with numerous global aerospace partners, and dynamic start-up environment.
According to Steinbuch, low-cost sustainable charging for carbon-free aviation electric planes can assist in achieving "green goals" while simultaneously lowering aviation costs. More people will purchase the sustainable system if it is the best system available, he continues. It will sell itself if the price per kilometer is right.”

The system's operation is explained by Jeroen Kroonen: The connection to the grid, energy storage, and solar energy for electric flying from that airfield are all part of the energy infrastructure.

At the moment, the airport in Europe with the most electric flights is International Airport Teuge, which is in the east of the Netherlands. An entirely electric aviation school is E-Flight. They fly a lot, and NRG2fly gives them the engineering and knowledge they need to set up the charging and energy infrastructure.

“Our future system should also allow someone to charge a different plane that arrives from another airfield. Payments can be made and guest charging can be permitted by the airport operator and authority."

Kroonen explains that the system's easy-to-use charging and payment features depend on this integrated approach.

As electric planes develop, the plan is to make charging more accessible. E-planes are currently short-range, small, propeller-driven aircraft used for training. Many short-haul flights can be electrified in due time if there are 3,000 airports across Europe. According to Jurjen de Jong, "about 80% of all flights are shorter than 1,000 kilometers." Additionally, the much lower levels of aircraft noise are a bonus. According to de Jong, "I take electric flying lessons myself at the flying school, and it's incredibly quiet." There is significantly less noise pollution.

De Jong explains that the efficiency of the electric system is approximately four times that of a gasoline-driven engine. Batteries are the bottleneck in aerospace applications. In the air, you need a lot of batteries, and even though it's more effective, jet fuel has a lot more energy per kilogram. You can currently e-fly 200 kilometers. But 500 kilometers will be possible in five to ten years as batteries become better. Currently, planes can carry two passengers, but they can carry ten, twenty, or even forty.

E-planes use lithium-ion batteries, but future technologies are expected to improve efficiency. Kroonen explains that "energy density will increase in the near future." Of course, there are also new battery chemistry being developed, but for the next ten years, we won't need that for our business case. The lithium-ion family of battery development curves can be trusted in the interim.

This is another reason why the Battery Competence Centre in Helmond and the value chain for electric flying, which is represented by EVC, a Dutch collective for electric flying, collaborate closely.

Facilities for charging batteries at airports The team is also looking into static storage, which could be innovative for the airports. According to Kroonen, "we want to have solar panels at every airport so that the airfields can generate their own energy." The grid and solar panels provide energy to the battery slowly, but you can charge the plane quickly from the battery, charging it in half an hour.

De Jong suggests that each airport might benefit from having energy hubs. Even at inaccessible airfields, you are producing quick, long-lasting energy, he claims. In addition to its own electrification transition of ground operations, that airfield becomes an energy hub for that environment if charging infrastructure and solar storage are installed there.

Kroonen adds that their work has relied heavily on close collaboration in Brabant. He continues, "We are establishing a whole new mobility sector with our partners." When it comes to being lightweight, dependable, and safe, aviation has always been at the forefront of mobility innovation.