Investigation of regenerative braking on the energy consumption of an electric taxiing system for a single aisle midsize aircraft

This paper investigates the effect of regenerative braking on the overall energy consumption of an electric taxiing system which is integrated in the main landing gear of a single aisle midsize aircraft. In the evaluated system, electric motors are responsible for the aircrafts propulsion while taxiing on ground. First, the system is modeled and analyzed in order to design an electrified traction system for the taxiing of the aircraft. The followed method to design the electric taxiing powertrain system is presented. Based on the aircraft's mass and the interaction between the wheels and the tarmac, a simulation model is developed for the electric taxiing system. This model is simulated over a real taxiing takeoff drive cycle to evaluate and characterize the energy and power requirements of the traction system. Moreover, the power and energy rating of the traction system (electric motors, power electronics and battery capacity) are determined by the consideration of the specific taxing scenario and evaluated drive-cycle. The assumptions and model used to size the powertrain especially the electric motors are confirmed by the simulation results. Furthermore, the results of the considered drive cycle show that regenerative braking can potentially enable a reduction in the overall tractive energy up to more than 8%.