Hybrid - Mye spenning omkring dette svenske prosjektet - AIN

 

Heart Rolls Out Technology Demonstrator for Hybrid-electric Airliner

Full-scale demonstrator is now in ground trials and is expected to fly in the second quarter of 2025

 

The Heart X1 technology demonstrator will be used to complete development of the 30-seat ES-30 hybrid-electric regional airliner. © Heart Aerospace

 

By Charles Alcock • Managing Editor

September 13, 2024

Heart Aerospace this week unveiled its first full-scale demonstrator for its 30-passenger ES-30 hybrid-electric regional airliner. During a “hangar day” event at its Gothenburg headquarters on September 12, the Swedish company said it will use the Heart X1 experimental aircraft to complete the development of the ES-30 and aims to start flight testing in the second quarter of 2025.

Over the next few months, Heart’s engineering team will test critical systems by running hardware both on and off the airplane. Funding to produce the aircraft, which has a 105-foot wingspan, has been provided by Sweden’s Vinnova innovation agency.

The Heart X1 features a provisional version of the company’s independent hybrid propulsion system, consisting of a pair of turboprop engines installed on the outboard section of the wing and a pair of electric motors inboard. In May, Heart announced this concept in place of the earlier series hybrid configuration that would have used a turbogenerator. This change led to further redesigns, including eliminating strut-based wings and winglets and moving the battery bay.

The independent hybrid propulsion system will be further refined and installed on the Heart X2 pre-production prototype that Heart aims to start flying in 2026. In August, the company, which now has a research and development hub in California, was awarded a $4.1 million grant by the FAA to develop the propulsion technology as part of the agency’s Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition program.

The ES-30 is expected to have an all-electric range of 109 nm, which will double when the turboprop engines are deployed. Heart has not yet identified the supplier of the aircraft’s engines.

Patents Filed For New Nacelle Concept 

This week, Heart also reported that it had filed two European Union design applications and one patent application for a new nacelle integration concept. The company said this design will allow the ES-30 to operate from shorter runways, without providing more details on the anticipated performance.

The concept involves integrating the nacelle with the wing, rather than positioning it beneath the wing. Heart said this will improve the wing’s performance by reducing aerodynamic interference between the nacelle and the wing to allow for a higher angle of attack and delaying stall.

“Our new nacelle integration design will be manufactured in-house, using automated composite technology, and incorporated on Heart’s upcoming airplane prototype,” said Ben Stabler, the company’s chief technology officer.

 

Heart Aerospace says its new nacelle concept will improve the aerodynamic performance of the wing on its ES-30 aircraft, allowing it to operate from shorter runways.

In joint work with Scandinavian carriers Braathens Regional Airlines and SAS, as well as with airports group Swedavia, Heart has now completed testing of ground support procedures for electric aircraft. These tests were conducted as part of the Swedish research program ELISE, which is aimed at advancing the installation of infrastructure needed to decarbonize air transport.

The project based at Gothenburg’s Säve Airport covered the evaluation and verification of charging processes. It also covered procedures for onboarding and offboarding passengers and cargo, as well as ground support and maintenance trials.

Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia has become the latest airline to join Heart’s industry advisory board, joining other prospective operators in providing input on the development of the ES-30. Heart said it now holds firm orders for 250 of the aircraft and also holds purchase rights and options for 120 more, plus letters of intent covering an additional 191 units.

“Our industry is approaching a 30-year innovation cycle, and we have less than 25 years to decarbonize aviation,” said Heart’s co-founder and CEO Anders Forslund. “It is a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of our team that we’re able to roll out a 30-seat aircraft demonstrator with a brand-new propulsion system, largely inhouse, in less than two years.”