Feasibility of Battery-Powered All-Electric Propulsion for Short-Haul Commuter Aircraft

Until recently, all-electric battery-powered aircraft seemed to commercialize this decade, but several projects have stalled owing to technical limitations. To examine these challenges, this paper developed a detailed equivalent circuit model (ECM) for sizing all-electric propulsion systems. We apply the ECM to 9- and 19-seat commuter aircraft proposed for Norway’s short-haul route network, using mission profile data obtained from 1500 under 200 nautical miles. Regression analysis of these data reveals that the cruising power needed is roughly 43 % of the power needed for takeoff and climbing. However, our findings indicate that given the current technical performance, the overall weight exceeds the allowable maximum takeoff weight, driven primarily by the battery and thermal management system. Notably, the shortest missions nearly meet the weight requirements but are actually constrained by power output rather than energy storage, introducing an additional criterion for battery sizing. Nevertheless, this power constraint for shorter routes ensures surplus energy storage, which diminishes the need for additional battery reserves for aircraft diversions. In contrast, diversion energy reserve needs dominate the energy requirements for longer routes. Finally, it is concluded that, in the short term, the only viable means of achieving all-electric, battery-powered aviation in Norway’s short-haul network is to reduce either seat capacity or total payload.