China will develop electric passenger aircraft using new battery technology

In a groundbreaking collaboration, Shanghai Jiaotong University, China's Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) have formed a joint venture to spearhead the development of battery-driven passenger aircraft.

This venture, named COMAC CATL Aviation Co., Ltd., has set its sights on revolutionising civil aviation with cutting-edge condensed matter battery technology.

COMAC's role

• COMAC, the homegrown aircraft manufacturer in the Chinese aviation sector, has a proven track record in developing and producing China-manufactured aircraft.
• Having successfully delivered the ARJ21 regional jet and the C919 passenger aircraft, the company now aims to push the boundaries of aviation technology further.
• Through its research centre in Beijing, COMAC has already embarked on exploring new energy aircraft, such as the "Featherling H," featuring a hybrid power system based on hydrogen fuel and electricity.

ALSO READ: China debuts home-built Comac C919 jet, but breaking Airbus-Boeing duopoly is still some time away

Condensed matter batteries

• CATL, the global leader in battery technology, recently unveiled its latest breakthrough - the condensed matter battery.
• This revolutionary semi-solid state battery has a remarkable energy density of 500 Watt-hours per kilogramm(Wh/kg), surpassing the capacity of current lithium-ion batteries, which typically reach around 300 Wh/kg.
• With such significant improvements in energy density, the condensed matter battery holds the promise of powering electric passenger aircraft for public use.

• To ensure the safe and reliable application of the condensed matter battery in aviation, CATL is actively collaborating with undisclosed partners to meet stringent quality and safety standards.
• The joint venture aims to overcome the challenges posed by battery application in aviation and bring about a transformative shift towards sustainable air travel.
• Off late CATL has become Tesla's biggest battery supplier.

Path to electric aircraft

• While the dream of electric passenger aircraft seems promising, achieving the required energy density remains a challenge.
• CATL's solid-state battery technology, which exhibits an impressive single-cell energy density of up to 500Wh/kg, shows immense potential for application in electric aircraft.

However, the feasible mass production of this technology is still years away.

Global focus on sustainable aviation

The need to reduce carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality has become a top priority for the global civil aviation industry.

• Companies like Airbus are also investing heavily in the development of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

• Boeing, on the other hand, has been researching and developing electric propulsion systems and sustainable aviation fuels to reduce the environmental impact of air travel.

Such innovations not only promise to meet market demands for sustainable air travel but also drive advancements in decarbonisation technologies that can benefit various aviation products. As the world embraces sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels, this collaboration may well set a new precedent for the future of air travel.