Embraer Reveals New Sustainable Aircraft

Embraer has revealed two new aircraft concepts, Energia Hybrid and Energia H2 Fuel Cell, in steps towards net-zero

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Embraer has revealed new aircraft concepts as part of the company’s progress on Energia in a bid to get the aviation industry to net-zero by 2050.

Four new aircraft concepts were revealed at Embraer’s Sustainability in Action event last year, with the focus on two 19–30-seater designs for hybrid electric and hydrogen electric propulsion. The two approaches are believed to offer a technically realistic economically feasible pathway to net-zero. The two concepts are:

  • Energia Hybrid (E19-HE and E30-HE), revealed as a nine-seater in 2021, Embraer is exploring a 19 and a 30-seater variant. The Energia Hybrid features parallel hybrid-electric propulsion, rear-mounted engines, and a reduction of up to 90% in CO2 emissions when using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
  • Energia H2 Fuel Cell (E19-H2FC and E30-H2FC), revealed as a 19-seater in 2021, Embraer is exploring a 30-seater variant. The H2 features hydrogen electric propulsion, rear-mounted electric engines, and zero CO2 emissions.

According to Embraer, the aircraft are still at the evaluation phase and the architectures and technologies are being assessed for technical and commercial viability. The Energia Advisory Group has also been launched to harness inputs and collaboration from partner airlines.

Arjan Meijer, President and CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation, said: “I believe we have set bold but realistic goals for these concepts to come to market. Since we announced our Energia concepts last year, we have been busy evaluating different architectures and propulsion systems. These efforts have resulted in the updates of our concepts that we are sharing with you today. A number of airlines are part of our Energia Advisory Group, the experience and knowledge they bring to the study will be key to accelerate to the next phases.”

Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer Sr. VP of Engineering, Technology and Corporate Strategy, commented: “As new propulsion technologies will be first applied on smaller aircraft, Embraer is in a unique position. The 19 and 30 seaters are sensible starting points for focused studies since they are likely to present earlier technical and economical readiness. While the challenges of net-zero are significant, in less than 25 years our commercial aircraft have already reduced fuel burn and CO2 emissions by almost 50% on a seat/mile basis, using only conventional fuels and propulsion – I’m convinced net-zero is a goal we can reach.”

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