Brazilian executive jet manufacturer Embraer this week released details of a new family of concept aircraft designed to reduce carbon emissions.
The Energia Family is comprised of four concept aircraft that incorporate different propulsion technologies: electric, hydrogen fuel cell, dual fuel gas turbine, and hybrid-electric.
The four models are the nine-seat Energia Hybrid and Energia Electric, the 19-seat Energia H2 Fuel Cell and the 25-50-seat Energia H2 Gas Turbine.
Energia Hybrid
Hybrid-electric propulsion
Reduce carbon emissions by 90%
Rear-mounted engine
Technology ready by 2030
Energia Electric
Full electric propulsion
Zero carbon emissions
Aft-mounted contra-rotating propellers
Technology ready by 2035
Energia H2 Fuel Cell
Hydrogen-electric propulsion
Zero carbon emissions
Rear-mounted electric engines
Technology ready by 2035
Energia H2 Gas Turbine
Hydrogen or SAF turbine
Reduce carbon emissions by 100%
Rear-mounted engines
Technology ready by 2040
Each concept is current under evaluation for both technical and commercial viability.
Embraer Senior VP of Engineering, Technology and Corporate Strategy, Luis Carlos Affonso, explained the rationale for the Energia family concept.
“We see our role as a developer of novel technologies to help the industry achieve its sustainability targets," he said. "There’s no easy or single solution in getting to net zero. New technologies and their supporting infrastructure will come online over time.
"We’re working right now to refine the first airplane concepts, the ones that can start reducing emissions sooner rather than later. Small aircraft are ideal on which to test and prove new propulsion technologies so that they can be scaled up to larger aircraft. That’s why our Energia family is such an important platform.”
Embraer has already made advances in reducing emissions from its aircraft, testing drop-in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), mixes of sugarcane and camelina plant-derived fuel and fossil fuel, on its family of E-Jets. The company is targeting to have all Embraer aircraft SAF-compatible by 2030.
Last August, Embraer flew its Electric Demonstrator, a single-engine EMB-203 Ipanema, 100% powered by electricity.
A hydrogen fuel cell demonstrator is planned for 2025 and the company’s eVTOL, a fully electric, zero-emissions vertical take-off and landing vehicle, is being developed to enter service in 2026.