機載電動車：清潔、安靜、高效航空的新時代

機載電動車（EV）正在迅速發展，使我們更接近一個更清潔、更安靜、更有效率的航空時代。

Airborne electric vehicles are gaining momentum as a sustainable solution for air transportation. Here's an overview of their advancements and the companies involved:

機載電動車作為航空運輸的可持續解決方案正在蓬勃發展。以下是他們的進展和所涉及的公司的概述：

1. Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft are a prime example of airborne EVs, designed for applications ranging from delivery drones to urban air taxis. These aircraft are garnering attention for their potential to revolutionize short-distance air travel.

1. 電動垂直起降 (eVTOL) 飛機是機載電動車的典型例子，專為從送貨無人機到城市空中計程車等應用而設計。這些飛機因其徹底改變短途航空旅行的潛力而受到關注。

2. The Middle East is emerging as a hub for e-VTOL operations, with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia at the forefront. Companies like Joby and Archer Aviation are securing deals to launch air taxi services in the region.

2. 中東正成為電動垂直起降營運的中心，其中阿拉伯聯合大公國和沙烏地阿拉伯處於領先地位。 Joby 和 Archer Aviation 等公司正在爭取在該地區推出空中計程車服務的交易。

3. Chinese manufacturer EHang has already conducted a passenger-carrying demo flight of its pilotless e-VTOL aircraft in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.

3. 中國製造商億航今年稍早已在阿布達比進行了無人駕駛電動垂直起降飛機的載客展示飛行。

4. According to McKinsey experts, by 2030, leading companies in the passenger AAM industry may offer many more daily flights, which will be shorter and with fewer passengers on board, than the world's largest airlines.

4. 麥肯錫專家表示，到 2030 年，客運 AAM 行業的領先公司可能會比世界上最大的航空公司提供更多的每日航班，但航班時間更短，機上乘客更少。

5. Against this backdrop, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued final rules last week for operating air taxis. The FAA said that air taxis belong to Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) flyers. They are highly automated, powered by electricity, and have vertical take-off and landing abilities, explained the agency.

5. 在此背景下，美國聯邦航空管理局（FAA）上週發布了空中計程車營運的最終規則。美國聯邦航空局表示，空中計程車屬於高級空中移動（AAM）飛行器。該機構解釋說，它們高度自動化，由電力驅動，並具有垂直起降能力。

6. Also considered ‘power-lift' vehicles, they have the elements of both airplanes and helicopters, said the FAA. While they will begin by using existing travel paths and landing structures currently being used by helicopters, the new rules will allow pilots to train with a single set of flight controls.

6. 美國聯邦航空局表示，它們也被認為是「動力提升」車輛，具有飛機和直升機的要素。雖然他們將首先使用直升機目前使用的現有行進路徑和著陸結構，但新規則將允許飛行員使用一組飛行控制裝置進行訓練。

7. Powered-lift aircraft, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said, are “the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years,” and the new rules will open the door to supporting their widespread AAM operations in the US.

7. 美國聯邦航空局局長邁克·惠特克(Mike Whitaker) 表示，動力升力飛機是“近80 年來第一個新類別的飛機”，新規則將為支持其在美國廣泛的空空導彈業務打開大門。

8. To advance this sector, last month, the FAA gave a $3.34mln grant to Wright Electric along with its partners, including NASA, DOE, and DOD, under its Fueling Aviation's Sustainable Transition (FAST) program. Through this grant, the FAA aims to develop a new class of batteries for large electric aircraft that can accommodate 100+ passengers, which accounts for over 90% of the aerospace industry's carbon emissions.

8. 為了推動這一領域的發展，上個月，美國聯邦航空管理局(FAA) 根據其燃料航空可持續轉型(FAST) 計劃，向萊特電氣及其合作夥伴（包括NASA、DOE 和DOD）撥款334 萬美元。透過這筆撥款，FAA 旨在為大型電動飛機開發新型電池，可容納 100 多名乘客，佔航空航太業碳排放量的 90% 以上。

9. Companies are now working on finding ways to make passenger airplanes operate entirely on electric power. The E9X is a newly designed electric aircraft, the design of which was conceptualized by the aviation startup Elysian and the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The aircraft can hold more passengers (90) and fly farther (up to 500 miles) on a single charge than previously thought possible.

9. 公司現在正努力尋找使客機完全依賴電力運作的方法。 E9X是一架新設計的電動飛機，其設計概念由航空新創公司Elysian和荷蘭代爾夫特理工大學共同構思。這架飛機一次充電可容納更多乘客（90 人），飛行距離比之前想像的更遠（最多 500 英里）。

10. These estimates are based on a theoretical battery pack of 360 watt-hours per kilogram. In contrast, Tesla (TSLA +0.72%) batteries have a density of between 272 and 296 Wh/kg.

10. 這些估算是基於每公斤 360 瓦時的理論電池組。相較之下，特斯拉 (TSLA +0.72%) 電池的密度在 272 至 296 Wh/kg 之間。

11. The weight of the electric battery, according to Jayant Mukhopadhaya, a senior researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), is the main constraint of these planes as conventional commercial batteries store about 50x less energy per pound than jet fuel. As a result, in order to power an aircraft as big as the Boeing 737, we would need about 35-ton batteries.

11. 國際清潔運輸理事會 (ICCT) 資深研究員 Jayant Mukhopadhaya 表示，電池的重量是這些飛機的主要限制因素，因為傳統商用電池每磅儲存的能量比噴射燃料少約 50 倍。因此，為了給波音 737 這樣大的飛機提供動力，我們需要大約 35 噸的電池。

12. “High density battery technology is one of the challenges at this moment, because scaling up production and further improving density remain crucial for widespread adoption.”

12.“高密度電池技術是目前面臨的挑戰之一，因為擴大生產規模和進一步提高密度對於廣泛採用仍然至關重要。”

– Simay Akar, a senior member at IEEE

– Simay Akar，IEEE 資深會員

13. While the battery is the primary concern, the design is also critical. As such, the wings of the E9X aircraft are extremely large relative to the plane's body, which increases its aerodynamic efficiency.

13. 雖然電池是首要問題，但設計也很關鍵。因此，E9X 飛機的機翼相對於機身來說非常大，這提高了其空氣動力效率。

“You shouldn't assume that an electric plane is going to look like the (most successful) planes of today.”

“你不應該認為電動飛機會看起來像當今（最成功的）飛機。”

– Reynard de Vries, director of design and engineering at Elysian

– Reynard de Vries，Elysian 設計與工程總監

14. Also, the batteries will not be placed in the fuselage but rather in the wings because they represent a large chunk of the plane's weight, and weight must be put “where the lift is being generated.”

14. 此外，電池不會放置在機身中，而是放置在機翼中，因為它們佔飛機重量的很大一部分，並且重量必須放置在「產生升力的地方」。

The E9X, however, is just a concept for now and won't take flight until at least 2033. However, there are already other electric passenger aircraft, such as Aviation Alice, whose prototype was tested years ago, late in 2022, while having a target date of 2027 for full production. Eviation Alice, however, is designed to carry only nine passengers and two crew while having a range of about 250 nautical miles.

然而，E9X 目前還只是一個概念，至少要到 2033 年才會首飛。投產的目標日期是2027 年。然而，Eviation Alice 的設計只能搭載 9 名乘客和 2 名機組人員，航程約為 250 海裡。

15. So, there are clear limitations to electric planes; however, their ability to significantly reduce their carbon footprint from flying is too big to ignore

15. 所以，電動飛機有明顯的限制；然而，他們顯著減少飛行碳足跡的能力不容忽視