After hybrid cars, has the time come for hybrid aircrafts? It’s still to early to tell, but researchers of Cambridge University, working in association with Boeing have just announced a first important step in this direction. On Tuesday, in Sywell Aerodrome, near Northampton, they ran a series of test flights using an aircraft powered by a parallel hybrid-electric propulsion system.
The aircraft, a modified, commercially-available, lightweight single-seater, uses a combination of a 4-stroke piston engine and an electric motor, which could also turn into a power generator. The hybrid power system is based on a Honda engine; the batteries, a set of 16 large lithium-polymer cells, are located in special compartments built into the wings.
