Cargo Archives - Eco-Aviation Foundation International

Innovating the Skies: How eVTOLs are Transforming Aerial Cargo Delivery

Liz Tang — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 18:14:34 +0000

AUDIO AVAILABLE AT FULL ARTICLE.
This story explores the rise of Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, which promise to revolutionize the aerial cargo industry by offering faster, more efficient, and environmentally friendly delivery solutions. It discusses the exponential market growth, the paradigm shift in logistics, key players and partnerships, regulatory and infrastructure challenges, and the sustainability benefits that eVTOLs bring to the table.

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How air cargo is embracing green practices

Liz Tang — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 03:41:06 +0000

Audio available at full article.

Global trade thrives on air cargo. It’s the invisible hand that delivers life-saving treatments, keeps supermarket shelves stocked with exotic delights and much more. Yet, this convenience comes at a price – a hidden environmental cost that threatens the very system it supports. Air cargo is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, leaving a significant environmental footprint. A recent International Energy Agency (IEA) report paints a stark picture:

“Emissions increased by 410 million tonnes, or 1.1%, in 2023 – compared with a rise of 490 million tonnes the year before, taking them to a record level of 37.4 gigatonnes.” And aviation contributes roughly 2% to that. Aircraft emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulates further pollute the air and contribute to climate change. As air cargo traffic continues its relentless climb, so too does its environmental burden. Sustainable practices are no longer a luxury, they’re an urgent necessity.

https://www.stattimes.com/air-cargo/how-air-cargo-is-embracing-green-practices-1351822?infinitescroll=1…

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Microweather Research Shines a Light on Advanced Air Mobility Safety Planning | MITRE

Liz Tang — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 22:42:48 +0000

Drone and air taxi operations are scaling up across the globe. A MITRE-developed predictive capability will help safeguard these vehicles from a key hazard—the effects of microscale turbulence and other wind conditions.

Imagine hopping on an electric air taxi to travel across town or having your pharmacy purchase delivered by drone. Plans for that future are well underway. But to enable it, factors affecting the safety of these and other advanced air mobility (AAM) operations must be understood.

Key among them is the effect of extremely localized—or microscale—weather. In other words, what low-lying weather conditions could be dangerous for AAM vehicles as they take off and land near or within urban areas? Could a strong gust of wind push a vehicle into the side of a building? Could a small eddy force an air taxi to the ground?

MITRE research is shedding light on this critical issue.

ILLUMINATING MICROWEATHER’S COMPLEXITIES
In traditional aviation, turbulence and wind shear—or the sudden variation of wind velocity or direction—are often contributing causes of accidents.

“The same dangers lurk in the AAM arena, but they can be harder to predict and assess than at higher altitudes, where traditional aircraft fly,” says Mike Robinson, who leads MITRE’s portfolio of microweather research for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)…

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Hong Kong cargo operators achieve new environmental accolade

Liz Tang — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 22:28:00 +0000

Hong Kong International Airport’s two biggest cargo operators have become the first cargo handling companies in Asia to achieve IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) certification.

Cathay Cargo Terminal and Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) between them handle over two million tonnes of cargo per annum at the airport.

IEnvA is a comprehensive certification programme developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that independently assesses the commitment of aviation stakeholders including airlines, airports, cargo-handling facilities, freight forwarders and ramp handlers, to continuously improve their environmental and sustainability performance…

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Magpie Aviation open sources electric cargo aircraft white paper | Revolution.aero

Liz Tang — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 20:36:48 +0000

In the spirit of it taking a village to build an aircraft, Magpie Aviation is open sourcing an electric cargo airplane design it just developed through a six-month R&D programme.

Magpie emerged on the scene last year with the unveiling of its unique airborne aircraft towing system. That technology, which enables meaningful ranges with current batteries, formed the basis for a new concept electric aircraft targeted at regional air cargo. Today, as part of its acquisition by Ampaire, the companies have decided to open source this design through a freely available white paper…

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Exclusive: Electric plane, train and boat batteries get millions in DOE funds

Liz Tang — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 22:04:22 +0000

A dozen teams nationwide are getting millions in Department of Energy funding to develop batteries for electric regional aircraft, trains and ships.

Why it matters: If any such moonshot is successful and scaleable, it could help curb the massive amounts of carbon emitted from heavy-duty transportation.

Transportation accounts for nearly 30% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. About 13% of that share is from aircraft, shipping and rail.

Details: The funds come by way of a DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program that aims to electrify domestic flights carrying up to 100 people as far as 1,000 miles, all North American railroads, and all vessels operating in U.S. territorial waters.

A total of $15 million is being awarded to teams aiming to build “1K” technologies — batteries with an energy density of at least 1,000 Watt-hour per kilogram (Wh/kg).

Current electric vehicle battery cells have about one-quarter of that energy density.

What they’re doing: The teams are taking a range of approaches, including new battery chemistries, optimizing electrode materials, rethinking the packaging of hydrogen that powers fuel cells and developing hybrid fuel-cell battery systems.

Between the lines: Such next-generation energy storage systems have to be safe, able to charge quickly, operate continuously, and have a long lifetime.

Different vehicles have different requirements. Battery weight is especially important for aircraft; the ability to withstand vibrations from jolting rail cars that often bump into one another is a must for electrifying railroads; reduced cost is a key consideration for shipping and rail.

The teams selected: And Battery Aero (Palo Alto, CA), Aurora Flight Sciences (Manassas, VA), Georgia Tech Research Corporation (Atlanta, GA), Giner (Newton, MA), Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT; Chicago, IL), Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD), Precision Combustion (North Haven, CT), Propel Aero (Ann Arbor, MI), University of Maryland (College Park, MD), Washington State University (Pullman, WA), Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO), and Wright Electric (Malta, MY).

What’s next: The teams will spend 18 months developing their technologies in the first of what’s expected to be a two-phase program.

At the same time, smaller electric aircraft are showing promise but still face financial and regulatory hurdles.

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WATCH: Cali startup delivers first electric cargo plane for US Air Force with up to 200 mi range

Liz Tang — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 18:20:48 +0000

Pyka, a Silicon Valley startup, delivered its first electric autonomous cargo plane to AFWERX, the US Air Force’s network of innovators.

Founded in 2017 in CEO Michael Norcia’s parent’s garage in Silicon Valley, the startup is now handing over electric planes for US Air Force use.

Pyka initially focused on crop spraying with fewer regulations and hurdles. Its first model, the Egret, was certified in New Zealand in May 2019, making it the first human-scale electric aircraft for commercial use.

By January 2020, Pyka flew its second-gen electric plane, the Pelican. With a new design and features, the aircraft could carry over three times the payload of its predecessor.

After completing load and flight testing, Pyka began serial production of the Pelican in late 2020. Most of the manufacturing is done at its Oakland, California facility. The Pelican went to work spraying Bananas in Costa Rica a few months later, in April 2021.

Pyka made history again, unveiling the Pelican Cargo last January, the world’s largest electric autonomous cargo plane.

The California-based startup announced Tuesday it had delivered its first Pelican electric cargo plane to AFWERX.

AFWERX was established in 2017 by the Secretary of the Air Force as an innovation unit that looks for solutions to improve Air Force capabilities.

The US Air Force Agility Prime program will use the electric plane to help improve the Department of Air Force (DAF). Agility Prime Branch Chief, Lt Col John Tekell, commented on the milestone, saying the program looks forward to learning more about “deployment and operational capabilities of electric aircraft through this contract.”

Pyka said it’s now on its way to providing “innovative solutions that could strengthen the national defense.”

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MightyFly unveils 3rd generation Cento aircraft (AUDIO available at full article)

Liz Tang — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 19:14:59 +0000

New eVTOL offers improved operational efficiency through MightyFly’s Autonomous Load Mastering System.

MightyFly unveiled the third generation of the Cento aircraft, an autonomous hybrid eVTOL cargo aircraft designed to carry one hundred pounds of cargo for six hundred miles. “The new eVTOL incorporates several novel features including a sleek design that enables operational efficiency, the ability to accommodate a wide range of payload centre of gravity, autonomous centre of gravity determination and a larger cargo bay,” says an official release. “The new eVTOL will also present improved operational efficiency through MightyFly’s Autonomous Load Mastering System (ALMS) component, which will enable the aircraft to autonomously open and close its cargo bay door, receive and eject packages into and from the cargo bay opening, move and secure packages in the cargo bay via an internal positioning and locking system, and sense and compute weight and balance.” MightyFly’s third generation aircraft has been designed to accommodate a relatively large range of payloads’ centre of gravity, which allows for a high degree of variance in cargo contents, densities, constitutions, loading order, and tie-down positions, the release added. “The enlarged cargo bay will allow the delivery of larger packages and goods, including the traditional cooler boxes used to transport donor organs for transplantation and blood bags. It will also benefit additional use cases and businesses in the industries of logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceutical, retail, automotive, and oil and gas, as well as organisations performing humanitarian and disaster relief work, and government’s defence teams executing various logistics and resupply missions.”

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Chaparral C1: world’s first turbogenerator-hybrid hVTOL takes flight

Liz Tang — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 00:19:58 +0000

The cutting-edge technology addresses limitations in all-electric systems, offering extended range and autonomous capabilities for logistics, humanitarian aid, and military resupply.
Elroy Air’s Chaparral C1 is not just a conventional cargo drone; it represents a significant leap forward in the aviation industry, combining distributed electric propulsion (DEP) with a turbogenerator-battery architecture. This innovative approach enables the aircraft to achieve vertical take-off, autonomous flight, and safe landing, marking a pivotal moment in developing hybrid-electric aircraft.

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UK: Jet zero remains on a high – Air Cargo News

msdasb1-45qy6 — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 07:26:15 +0000

Green government commitments to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and decarbonisation must be consistent to meet the 2050 net zero deadline, stresses Logistics UK.

In July 2022, the UK Government’s Department for Transport (DfT) launched its Jet Zero Strategy in response to the UK’s 2050 deadline to achieve net zero.

Twelve months later and the ‘Jet Zero strategy: One Year On’ has been published, providing an overview of milestones achieved so far and outlining the challenges that remain on the path ahead to deliver net zero aviation by 2050…

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