French automaker Renault and European aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced a collaboration to create a new generation of electric batteries for both vehicles and aircraft on Wednesday, Nov. 30.
As part of this collaboration, the engineering teams from Airbus and the Renault Group will work together to advance energy storage technologies, which both companies claim to be a major barrier to the development of long-range electric vehicles.
France's Junior Minister for Transports Clement Beaune (R) and German Minister for Transport and Digital Affairs Volker Wissing during a visit on the site of Airbus Helicopters, the helicopter manufacturing division of Airbus, in Dugny, northeastern suburbs of Paris on November 4, 2022.
Technology Building Blocks
The cooperation agreement will specifically cover technology building blocks for improving battery weight and energy management, and it will look for the best ways to transition from current cell chemistries (advanced lithium-ion) to all solid-state designs, which Airbus claims could increase the energy density of batteries within the 2030 timeframe.
"For the first time, two European leaders from different industries are sharing engineering knowledge to shape the future of hybrid-electric aircraft. Aviation is an extremely demanding field in terms of both safety and energy consumption, and so is the car industry," Gilles Le Borgne, EVP, Engineering, Renault Group, said in a press release statement.
Renault Group boasts 10 years of experience in the EV value chain, Le Borgne notes that this gives them the strongest feedback from the field and adds credence to their manufacturing of battery management systems.
A picture taken on May 20, 2020 shows the logo of French carmaker Renault on a car dealership on the Champs Elysees in Paris. - Renault considers the closure of four sites in France, according to French satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaine. The group is to unveil on May 29 the outlines of a vast 2 billion euro savings plan announced in February.
Read also: Airbus Unveils New Cryogenic Tanks 'Cold Hearts' for Future Hydrogen-Powered Flight
Cross-Industry Partnership
With the same goal to innovate and lessen the carbon imprint, Renault and Airbus technical teams are collaborating to develop cross-cutting technologies that will make it possible to operate hybrid airplanes and create "vehicles of tomorrow," according to Le Borgne.
"This cross-industry partnership with Renault Group will help us mature the next generation of batteries as part of Airbus' electrification roadmap," Sabine Klauke, Airbus Chief Technical Officer, said in the press release as well.
Klauke added that achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is a special challenge that calls for cross-sector collaboration to begin right away.
She hopes they will be able to develop the game-changing technologies necessary for future hybrid aircraft architectures in the 2030s and beyond by combining Renault Group's expertise in electric automobiles with their track record in electric flight prototypes.
Both companies claim that this collaboration is crucial in transforming the transportation sector and achieving the aviation and automotive industries' goal of having net-zero emissions by 2050.
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