Boeing to explore Electric Aeroplane
Keywords: Boeing Commercial Aeroplane, Aircraft, Environment, Fuel
Boeing Commercial Aeroplanes report that it will develop and test an electrically powered demonstrator aeroplane as part of a study to evaluate environmentally friendly fuel cell technology for future Boeing products.
An aeroplane manufacturer is working with Boeing's new Research and Technology Centre in Madrid, Spain, to modify a small, single-engine aeroplane by replacing its engine with fuel cells and an electric motor that will turn a conventional propeller.
Most of the work on the electric aeroplane will be done in Europe. Boeing Madrid will design and integrate the experimental aeroplane's control system. NASA, fuel cell manufacturers, the automotive industry and several European Universities are supporting the project. Test flights are scheduled to begin in early 2004.
