Progress in electrically-propelled aircraft

In recent years, the performance of electrical drives and power sources has increased to an extent that they have now become viable as propulsion systems for aircraft. Whilst they are unlikely to be applicable to commercial airliners in the foreseeable future, a number of smaller aircraft are under development or have already been produced. The paper examines the advantages (and disadvantages) of the use of electric propulsion and compares an electric drive using currently available components with one employing a conventional internal combustion engine. It then considers a number of examples of aircraft using electrical propulsion and discusses their particular features. It is concluded that on weight and cost most electrical propulsion systems still cannot compete with conventional systems but other factors may override this disadvantage and further expected improvements in electrical system components should see them increasingly employed in the future.