EcoPulse demonstrator completes campaign
December 10, 2024
The final flight of the distributed hybrid-electric propulsion demonstrator aircraft project, the EcoPulse, marks the culmination of a collaborative French project and provides key learnings towards the development of a future low-carbon aircraft.
A initiative developed jointly by Daher, Safran and Airbus, the EcoPulse – a modified TBM 900 – was first revealed in its final flight configuration at the 2023 Paris Airshow, featuring six integrated wing-mounted 800v 45kW Safran ENGINeUS engines and e-propellers. After the airframe’s initial first flight (using conventional power but with the addition of three ‘e-props’ mounted on each wing to test handling characteristics) in 2022, it has performed some 50 test flights using its distributed hybrid propulsion system.
These tests – which enabled what Daher described as “the demonstration of unprecedented onboard electric power for distributed electric propulsion with a network voltage of approximately 800 volts DC and a power output of 350 kilowatts” – were conducted between November 2023 and July 2024.
“This was the first time we completed a complete hybrid-electric propulsion system in flight, and these trials represented a significant milestone in our technology roadmap,” confirmed Eric Dalbiès, senior vice president of strategy and chief technology officer at Safran. With the battery specially designed by Airbus, head of propulsion at Airbus Jean-Baptiste Manchette added that the campaign “allows us to advance certain hybrid-electric technologies such as high-voltage batteries, and integrate them into future aircraft, helicopters, and air mobility solutions”.
In June 2023, Daher stated it intended to bring a hybrid-power aircraft to market as soon as 2027, most likely using a modified power system adapted to an existing airframe. Speaking after the culmination of the flight test campaign, Daher chief technology officer Pascal Laguerre explained that “EcoPulse has enabled Daher to take a crucial step forward in developing a low-carbon aircraft”. The project “not only helped us design an operational system for a demonstration prototype but also tackle critical technological hurdles,” he clarified.
First unveiled at the 2019 Paris Airshow, the EcoPulse demonstrator combined a Safran-supplied gas turbine engine with a high-voltage battery pack provided by Airbus. A Power Distribution and Rectification unit (PRDU) sat at the heart of the architecture, distributing available electrical power through high-voltage supply harnesses (both also from Safran). Alongside the battery, Airbus also developed the flight control system, enabling aircraft manoeuvres of the ePropellers.
The project was supported by CORAC (the French Civil Aeronautics Research Council) and jointly financed by the French DGAC though France Relance and NextGeneration EU. Although no firm avenue to apply the specific technological learnings has yet been confirmed, “this pioneering project lays the groundwork for the technological and regulatory advancements needed to address the environmental challenges of future air transport,” conclude the project’s partners.
