Overview
Electric Innovative Commuter Aircraft
The ELICA research project activities are focused on the conceptual design of a 19 passengers commuter aircraft based on alternative propulsion concepts, targeting near-zero CO2 emissions. The project aligns with the environmental expectations of the European Commission towards the aeronautical industry formulated in Flightpath 2050, and is in line with the economic objectives of the European Commission to safeguard high-quality jobs in the aerospace sectors by strengthening the technological leadership and the competitiveness of the European’s aerospace industry.
The high-level objective of ELICA is to provide a concept design of a 19 passenger commuter aircraft with new zero-emissions with respect to CO2, NOx, and noise.
The concept should be:
- environmentally friendly, i.e. with measurable reduction in estimated emission values;
- economically feasible, i.e. the aircraft requirements are derived from the market demands;
- and technologically innovative, i.e. the flexibility in the aircraft design space provided by new propulsion technologies should be explored and exploited.
The final concept design will pave the way to an innovative aircraft demonstrator. It will be an important step stone to strengthen the technology leadership of the European aeronautical industry, in the global race for the next-generation efficient commuter aircraft for regional mobility.