Airbus And Renault Partner On Electrification

Airbus and French automobile manufacturer Renault have signed a research and development agreement to accelerate their respective electrification roadmaps and help mature technologies associated with future hybrid-electric aircraft.

The two companies' engineering teams will join forces to mature technologies related to energy storage, which remains one of the main roadblocks for the development of long-range electric vehicles, says the airframer.

The co-operation agreement covers technology bricks related to energy management optimisation and battery-weight improvement, and targets identification of the best pathways to move from current cell chemistries to all solid-state designs that could double the energy density of batteries in the 2030 timeframe.

Airbus adds that the joint work will also span studying the full lifecycle of future batteries, from production to recyclability, in order to prepare the industrialisation of these future battery designs while assessing their carbon footprint across their entire lifecycle.

"Reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is a unique challenge that requires co-operation across sectors, starting today," states Airbus chief technical officer Sabine Klauke. "Bringing together Renault Group's experience in electric vehicles with our own track record in electric-flight demonstrators will allow us to accelerate the development of the disruptive technologies required for future hybrid aircraft architectures in the 2030s and beyond."