Aviation

Challenging the Myths of Battery-Powered Aviation Shourya Bhandari, Leonardo Times Editor The E9X designed by Elysian Aircraft promises to be a more sustainable approach to reducing CO2 emissions produced in commercial aviation by providing a battery-electric alternative to more than 50% of scheduled commercial flights [1]. Promising to lower operational costs for airlines while also being the most efficient path to zero-emission travel compared to other fuel sources, this new aircraft could be the innovation needed to meet the EU’s net-zero carbon emission goal by 2050 [2]. The Elysian project commenced in 2021 and became a private venture in 2023. Their initial efforts were condensed into a series of ground-breaking papers released to the public at the 2024 AIAA SciTech ...

A detailed look at the most probable path forward Alex Nedelcu and Miguel Castro Gracia, Leonardo Times Editors Quoting the International Air Transport Association, in 2024, “there was no let-up in the industry’s determination to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050” [1]. But beyond the promotional material, is the aviation sector really on the way to decarbonizing in time to avoid the most dangerous climate scenarios? Or is the industry’s continued growth fundamentally incompatible with sustainable transport? Commercial aviation has increased more than eighty-fold since the 1960s, with a 3% average yearly growth rate. It has already contributed around 3.5% of the total anthropogenic global warming to date and now contributes around 5.9% of ongoing emissions. While gl...

Elysian Aircraft: Skies Reimagined

Can Aviation Decarbonize?