Electrification of a Small Aircraft: Technical Feasibility, Cost Analysis, and Environmental Impact
by HAVADER Editör Ekibi
Electric cars are now an everyday sight on the road — but what about electric aircraft? This study tests just how feasible that same transformation is in aviation, using a concrete example: the Tecnam P2008 JC training aircraft.
The goal was to show whether converting this aircraft into an All-Electric Aircraft (AEA) concept is technically feasible while preserving its structural architecture and operational limits. To do this, a suitable lithium-ion battery pack and electric propulsion system were designed and integrated with the necessary power electronics.
Simulations on a defined flight route analyzed the electric system's energy consumption and performance, comparing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions between the electric and conventional (fuel-based) configurations. The results reveal concrete advantages to full electrification, while also flagging engineering challenges to overcome — particularly around battery weight and range limits.
What this study contributes is turning electric aviation from an abstract vision of the future into a concept testable with concrete engineering data. An everyday analogy: it's similar to a family asking, before switching their gas car to electric, "how many kilometers do I actually drive daily, how close is a charging station, does this switch really make sense for me?" — except here the "family car" is a training aircraft, and the "daily commute" is a specific flight route.
In the end, this research shows that electrifying small, short-range training aircraft is technically feasible, though continued advances in battery technology will make the switch increasingly attractive both economically and practically — suggesting aviation's path to zero emissions runs through surprisingly similar steps to the ones the auto industry has already taken.
The goal was to show whether converting this aircraft into an All-Electric Aircraft (AEA) concept is technically feasible while preserving its structural architecture and operational limits. To do this, a suitable lithium-ion battery pack and electric propulsion system were designed and integrated with the necessary power electronics.
Simulations on a defined flight route analyzed the electric system's energy consumption and performance, comparing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions between the electric and conventional (fuel-based) configurations. The results reveal concrete advantages to full electrification, while also flagging engineering challenges to overcome — particularly around battery weight and range limits.
What this study contributes is turning electric aviation from an abstract vision of the future into a concept testable with concrete engineering data. An everyday analogy: it's similar to a family asking, before switching their gas car to electric, "how many kilometers do I actually drive daily, how close is a charging station, does this switch really make sense for me?" — except here the "family car" is a training aircraft, and the "daily commute" is a specific flight route.
In the end, this research shows that electrifying small, short-range training aircraft is technically feasible, though continued advances in battery technology will make the switch increasingly attractive both economically and practically — suggesting aviation's path to zero emissions runs through surprisingly similar steps to the ones the auto industry has already taken.