A team of researchers from Boeing and Cambridge University have successfully tested the world's first aircraft with a hybrid-electric engine, according to CNET.
Tested at Sywell Aerodrome near Northampton in the UK, the single-seat plane is relatively light, weighing just 140 kilograms when not boarded by a pilot and without with fuel.
The aircraft's hybrid engine can recharge while in flight and consumes up to 30 percent less fuel than a gas engine powering a similarly sized airplane.
The research team's head, Dr. Paul Robertson of Cambridge University's Department of Engineering, said hybrid technology for airplanes had not been given the same attention as that for cars because of a slow development of batteries.
"Although hybrid cars have been available for more than a decade, what's been holding back the development of hybrid or fully electric aircraft until now is battery technology," Robertson said.
"But with the advent of improved lithium-polymer batteries, similar to what you'd find in a laptop computer, hybrid aircraft (albeit at a small scale) are now starting to become viable," he continued.
The test plane's engine is based on a Honda engine. It is a combination of a four-stroke, seven-kilowatt piston engine powered by a 10-kilowatt electric motor and generator.
Only minimal power is required by the aircraft while in flight, while it uses up the most power during take-off and ascent. These are the points in a flight when the engine and the motor work most rigorously.
The technology currently cannot be applied to a commercial aircraft, which would fly for only about 10 minutes using it, according to Telegraph.
"Our mission is to keep our sights on finding innovative solutions and technologies that solve our industry's toughest challenges and continually improve environmental performance," said Marty Bradley of Boeing.
"Hybrid electric is one of several important elements of our research efforts, and we are learning more every day about the feasibility of these technologies and how they could be used in the future," he said.
