Speaker Interviews
Dr Evgeni Ganev, CEO
EMPS Consulting LLC, USA
How do you see the advancements in electric and hybrid aerospace technologies influencing the future of sustainable aviation over the next decade?
In several different segments of aerospace electrification, I see the progress as follows:
The urban air mobility will have a substantial progress in the implementation of the large cities. The traffic jam will be eliminated, the air quality improved, approaching net zero results. The social acceptance of the new means of transportation will be widely spread.
Larger CTOL aircraft will be using electric, hybrid and fuel cell technologies for a substantial pollution reduction. Underutilized airports will be upgraded with new infrastructure and heavily used. Overall travel time from point to point will be substantially reduced due to more travel options and autonomous technology.
The technologies for the largest aircrafts like cryogenic will progress a lot. The platform development and entry into service will become possible.
What are the key challenges that the industry faces in transitioning to electric and hybrid propulsion?
I see the following key challenges:
TRL (Technology Readiness Level) increase: Large numbers of new technologies must be developed to progress to larger and more complex electrified vehicles. It takes a lot of time and needs heavy funding.
Certification of the new platforms: The electrified platforms are quite different from the conventional ones. The authorities need new standards and more test data of the new vehicles to progress.
Social acceptance. Society needs to adopt the new vehicles and the different methods of transportation. For instance, the UAM vehicles will be heavily dependent autonomous technology which will not be easily accepted by the passengers.
Uncertainty: Both business and technical. New territory needs to be explored which requires a very careful approach.