A project with a proposed entry into service by 2026 of an all-electric passenger aircraft on domestic routes in Norway has been shelved after extensive research by the plane’s developer, Tecnam, concluded a short battery life would make it commercially unviable. The Italian airframer had partnered with Rolls-Royce to develop a zero-emission, high-utilisation capability platform called P-Volt, with the partnership extended to include Norwegian operator Widerøe in early 2021 The country’s biggest regional airline has a large domestic network where flight distances are less than 275 km. However, after a three-year study covering the entire life-cycle of an all-electric aircraft, Tecnam has decided, at least for now, that even under optimistic projections, operators would need to replace the entire battery storage unit after only a few hundred flights, with a dramatic increase in direct operating costs due to the reserves for battery replacement prices.

“Since the beginning of the P-Volt development, Tecnam’s focus has been to provide operators with the ability to fly an all-electric passenger aircraft profitably, efficiently and sustainably in terms of operating costs, emissions, performance, turnaround and time to market,” said a company statement. “At present, Tecnam believes that these can only be achieved by extremely aggressive speculation on uncertain technology developments.

“The proliferation of aircraft with ‘new’ batteries would lead to unrealistic mission profiles that would quickly degrade after a few weeks of operation, making the all-electric passenger aircraft a mere ‘green transition flagship’ rather than a real player in the decarbonisation of aviation.”

Under the company’s most optimistic future scenario of slow charge cycles and the possible limitation of the maximum charge level per cycle, the real storage capacity would fall below 170Wh/kg, whereas by comparison, jet fuel has an energy density of 12,000Wh/kg.

Tecnam said the programme was being postponed rather than cancelled and is “ready to bring the P-Volt back into the type certification arena as soon as technology evolution allows.”

Fabio Russo, the company’s Chief R&D Officer, added: “We hope that new technologies will make businesses viable sooner rather than later and we have real confidence in our partners’ ability to bring highly valuable products to the zero-emission powertrain and energy storage arena.”

The P-Volt is based on the 11-seat Tecnam P2012 Traveller aircraft and seen as ideal for short take-off and landing, as well as for Widerøe’s routes along the north and west coast of Norway. The airline’s shortest flight durations are between seven and 15 minutes. In March, it announced the three-year Widerøe Zero project, which, with backing from Norway’s Research Council, will explore possible operating concepts for both a nine-seater electric aircraft and an eVTOL aircraft.

The country has an ambition of having the first electrified aircraft in ordinary domestic scheduled flights by 2030 and an 80% emissions reduction from domestic flights by 2040.

Image: Tecnam’s P-Volt all-electric aircraft in Widerøe livery

Last week’s Singapore Airshow reflected a growing focus of the air transport sector on decarbonisation across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Impacted by the recent eruption of Covid’s Omicron variant and onerously imposed government restrictions, the show attracted just 13,000 registered visitors, less than half the 30,000 who attended in 2019, while the number of exhibitors fell by over a third. Although there was a handful of orders for narrowbody passenger aircraft and widebody freighters, many announcements focused on sustainability partnerships and initiatives by airlines, aerospace manufacturers and fuel companies. A significant number of the declarations made at the show underscored the commitment of host nation Singapore to become a sustainable aviation hub and an APAC decarbonisation leader through measures including sustainable aviation fuels, hydrogen propulsion and the use of renewable energy on the ground, reports Tony Harrington.

To guide the strategy, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said it will produce a Singapore Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint by early 2023 and has established a 20-member International advisory panel of industry and technology leaders to develop and progress the plan. Their first meeting was held on the sidelines of the show.

“While the immediate focus of the Singapore air hub is to revive air travel, we cannot lose sight of the longer-term challenge of climate change,” said Singapore’s Minister for Transport and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, S. Iswaran. “This is a challenging endeavour, especially at a time when aviation companies are still dealing with the effects of the pandemic,” he said. “It will require strong public-private partnership and cross-sectoral collaboration to innovate and reinvent the aviation ecosystem.”

In the days before the air show, a 12-month pilot programme was announced by CAAS, Singapore Airlines (SIA), Exxon Mobil, waste-to-fuel producer Neste and state investment company Temasek to assess the supply, distribution and use of sustainable aviation fuels at Singapore’s Changi Airport.

During the event, SIA – together with aerospace companies Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Safran, plus the support of aerospace sustainability consultancy Roland Berger – signed the Global Sustainable Aviation Fuel Declaration, an initiative urging airlines, aerospace suppliers and fuel partners to support accelerated development, production and use of SAF. SIA was the first airline to sign, underscoring its commitment to decarbonisation, said Lee Wen Fen, the airline’s SVP Corporate Planning. “Beyond SAF, we also use multiple levers to achieve our goals, including achieving higher operational efficiency and investing in new-generation aircraft.” 

The declaration notes that to achieve a net zero target for global aviation by 2050, it is likely a production capacity in the order of 500 million tonnes of SAF would be required. “Recognising that aviation operates within a complex framework of international regulatory and safety requirements, a large-scale uptake of SAFs will require a collaborative effort from a broad range of organisations, with each playing a different role, from research, to production and logistics, to utilisation,” it says. “We will need to work progressively towards the expansion of SAF globally and regionally, with the intention of maintaining a level playing field.”

Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology and Strategy Officer, Rolls-Royce, added: “It is important that we combine our efforts and focus into building the momentum required to drive this forward. We are all big advocates for the development of alternative propulsion solutions including hydrogen, hybrid-electric and electric, and we also recognise that SAFs are a key building block to set us on our path towards achieving our long-term decarbonisation goals.” Airbus Chief Technical Officer Sabine Klauke urged other key aviation stakeholders to also sign the declaration. “The challenge is to further increase and encourage the uptake of SAF globally, as well as incentives and long-term policies that encourage SAF use,” she said.

Oil company Shell announced at the show that it would become the first supplier of SAF to operators in Singapore, following the upgrading of its local facility to enable blending of sustainable product with conventional aviation fuel, sourced by Shell Aviation from Neste. The first batch will be blended in Europe, before the task is transferred to Singapore. “Alongside investing in our capabilities to produce SAF, we are also focused on developing the regional infrastructure needed to get the fuel to our customers at their key locations,” said Jan Toschka, Global President, Shell Aviation. To support its aim of globally producing some two million tonnes of SAF per year by 2025, and subject to a final investment decision, Shell has proposed a biofuels facility within its Energy and Chemicals Park in Singapore, with annual capacity to produce 550,000 tonnes of low carbon fuels including SAF.

At its Singapore facility, SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) has just completed a trial of SAF in a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine, which is used to power Airbus A380 aircraft. Conducted with Singapore Aero Engine Services (SAESL), a joint venture of SIAEC and Rolls-Royce, the trial used a 38% blend of SAF, producing 32% lower carbon emissions than conventional fossil jet fuel. “As SIAEC grows its engine services business, we recognise the importance of mitigating potential impact to the environment,” said the company’s CEO, Ng Chin Hwee. “The successful trial using blended SAF at our engine test facility marks SIAEC’s capability and readiness to support the aviation industry towards the net zero carbon emissions goal.”

Dominic Horwood, Services Director of Civil Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, said the SAF engine test was “an important milestone in accelerating the adoption of SAF in MRO services across the Asia-Pacific region, enabling our partners and customers in the transition to low carbon aviation.”

Neste and Japanese industrial partner Itochu Corporation announced plans to increase the availability of SAF in Japan by expanding a partnership they formed in 2020, through which Neste delivered its first SAF into Asia. Under the expanded agreement, Itochu will distribute Neste SAF in Japan, initially at the nation’s two largest international airports, Narita and Haneda in Tokyo. Neste is expanding its Singapore refinery, which it expects to increase SAF production from 100,000 tonnes to up to 1 million tonnes a year by the end of Q1 2023. 

Hydrogen propulsion also featured at the Singapore show. Beyond the SAF developments, CAAS, Changi Airport Group (CAG), Airbus and the energy engineering company Linde, announced a joint two-year study into developing an aviation hydrogen hub in Singapore. The partners will explore the transportation and storage of hydrogen, and its delivery to aircraft at existing and future airports. “While our immediate focus is on sustainable aviation fuel, we also need to explore longer-term alternatives such as hydrogen to better understand the potential and seize opportunities,” explained CAAS Director General Han Kok Juan.

In the lead up to the air show, Airbus partnered with Korean Air, Seoul’s Incheon international airport, and French industrial gases corporation Air Liquide to explore opportunities and infrastructure requirements for hydrogen powered regional flights in South Korea. “The Asia-Pacific region will play a key role as we work towards making climate-neutral aviation a reality,” said Sabine Klauke of Airbus. “By partnering with Changi Airport and with Incheon Airport, Airbus will leverage the operational and technical expertise of two of the world’s leading hubs. The studies we will carry out together reflect the need for a cross-sectoral approach, including manufacturers, airlines, regulators, airports, energy providers and academia. We need bold and coordinated action to achieve our goals.”   

For the first time in Asia, Boeing demonstrated its new 777X widebody jet, for which Singapore Airlines is an early customer. The airline announced at the show orders valued at $2.8 billion for 22 GE9X engines to power the 777X, which Boeing claims will deliver 10% lower fuel use and emissions than its competitors.

Embraer, Rolls Royce, and Norwegian regional operator Widerøe announced a 12-month partnership to study “a conceptual zero emission aircraft”, examining new propulsion technologies including all-electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and hydrogen-fuelled gas turbine powerplants.

“Technological innovations can potentially enable clean and renewable energy to power a new era of regional aviation,” said Arjan Meijer, CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation. “The aim of our collaboration is to create new flight solutions that serve expanded market segments in a sustainable manner. I strongly believe this could lead to full sustainable connectivity, including very short haul intercity operations.”

Added Andreas Aks, CEO of Widerøe Zero, the air mobility incubator subsidiary of Widerøe: “Working with the world’s leading aerospace technology firms, our aim is to understand how a viable business can be built around zero emissions regional concepts, and to advise the manufacturers on operational requirements and customer expectations to design the best possible and sustainable air mobility service.”

Photo (Airbus): Static display at Singapore Airshow

An all-electric passenger aircraft for the commuter market could be in revenue service by 2026 following an agreement between Rolls-Royce, airframer Tecnam and Scandinavia’s largest regional airline, Widerøe. Rolls-Royce and Tecnam have an existing partnership on powering the all-electric P-Volt aircraft and the engine manufacturer has been working with Widerøe on a sustainable aviation research programme. The all-electric aircraft will be used on the extensive Norwegian domestic network, in which Widerøe offered around 400 flights per day before the pandemic that served 44 airports and where 74% of the flights had distances less than 275 km. The country has ambitions of having the first electrified aircraft in ordinary domestic scheduled flights by 2030 and an 80% emissions reduction from domestic flights by 2040. Rolls-Royce has also announced its electrical technology is to power Vertical Aerospace’s four-passenger all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and reports it has completed the taxiing of its ’Spirit of Innovation’ plane to test the integration of the propulsion system ahead of actual flight testing and plans to set a world speed record for electric flight.

In respect of the Norwegian project, Rolls-Royce will bring its expertise in propulsion and power systems, Tecnam will provide aircraft design, manufacturing and certification capabilities, while Widerøe will ensure competence and requirements for the aircraft’s commercial operations are in place for the aircraft’s entry into service in 2026.

“We are highly excited to be offered the role as launch operator, but also humble about the challenges of putting the world’s first zero emissions aircraft into service,” said Andreas Aks, Chief Strategy Officer, Widerøe. “Our mission is to have all new capabilities, processes and procedures required for a zero emissions operator, designed and approved in parallel with the aircraft being developed and certified.”

The P-Volt aircraft, which is based on the 11-seat Tecnam P2012 Traveller aircraft, is ideal for short take-off and landing, as well as for routes along the north and west coast of Norway, say the partners. Widerøe’s shortest flight durations are between seven and 15 minutes.

“It is incredible to see the interest around the P-Volt, not only coming from regional airlines but also from smart mobility-based companies,” said Fabio Russo, Chief Project R&D and Product Development at Tecnam. “This last year has demonstrated the importance of promoting capillary connections between small communities, while reducing the congestion of the main hubs.”

Rolls-Royce aims to be the leading supplier of all-electric and hybrid electric propulsion and power systems across multiple aviation markets, said Rob Watson, Director for Rolls-Royce Electrical.

“Electrification will help us deliver our ambition to enable the markets in which we operate achieve net-zero carbon by 2050,” he said. “This collaboration strengthens our existing relationships with Tecnam and Widerøe as we look to explore what is needed to deliver an all-electric passenger aircraft for the commuter market.”

According to data and analytics company GlobalData, all-electric aircraft is one of the most promising options for green aviation. Its research shows using only all-electric aircraft for journeys under 600 nautical miles would reduce airport NOx emissions by 40% and reduce fuel use and direct CO2 emissions by 15%. In the long term and allowing for future development, it estimates journeys up to 1,200nm would reduce airport NOx emissions by 60%, reduce fuel use and direct CO2 emissions by 40% and would account for 80% of all departures.

“However, given the state of contemporary battery technology, all-electric aircraft will not be able to compete in the conventional commercial aircraft market any time soon, certainly not by 2026,” cautioned Harry Boneham, Associate Aerospace, Defense and Security Analyst at GlobalData. “Instead, the opportunity for all-electric aircraft is to introduce a new sector in the industry comprised of small-capacity, sub-600nm range aircraft.

“In this emerging market, the current limitations of battery technology, namely energy density, are offset by the low costs and convenience offered by short-haul flights not bound by the travel hub system. As with the emergence of all new industries, it serves players well to gain an early foothold.

“This cooperative agreement with Tecnam and Widerøe signals that Rolls-Royce appreciates not only the growing regulatory and public pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also recognises the potential of all-electric aircraft to revolutionise the commercial aviation system.”

The Rolls-Royce Electrical collaboration with Vertical Aerospace is its first commercial venture in the urban air mobility (UAM) market. A Rolls-Royce electrical power system will be integrated into the piloted eVTOL aircraft, which will carry up to four passengers for 120 miles at cruise speeds of over 200mph. The engine manufacturer will design the system architecture of the whole electrical propulsion system, the electric power system that includes 100kW-class lift and push electrical propulsion units, and the power distribution and the monitoring system that will support operations.

Around 150 Rolls-Royce engineers based in Hungary, Singapore, Germany, the US and the UK will work with the Bristol, UK-based Vertical Aerospace team on developing the aircraft, which is aiming to be one of the world’s first certified eVTOLs and certified to CAA and EASA safety standards.

“This exciting opportunity demonstrates our ambitions to be a leading supplier of sustainable complete power systems for the new UAM market, which has the potential to transform the way that people and freight move from city to city,” said Watson.

He said the taxiing of the ‘Spirit of Innovation’ aircraft was “an incredible milestone”, with a first flight planned within the next few months and the world speed record attempt later this year. The project is part of the ACCEL programme, short for Accelerating the Electrification of Flight’, which includes partners electric motor and controller manufacturer YASA and aviation start-up Electroflight. Half of the project’s funding is provided by the Aerospace Technology Institute, in partnership with the UK’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Innovate UK.

“For the first time, the plane propelled itself forward using the power from an advanced battery and propulsion system that is ground-breaking in terms of electrical technology,” said Watson. “The system and the capabilities being developed will help position Rolls-Royce as a technology leader in offering power systems to the UAM market.

Top image: Rolls-Royce/ Tecnam/Widerøe P-Volt

Bottom image: Rolls-Royce/Vertical Aerospace eVTOL