As cities continue to grow in size, traffic is a major source of complaint and stress for citizen. One solution to avoid congested roads and offer a better regional travel experience is to provide an affordable and sustainable air travel option. This is the mission of aviation company Eviation Aircraft: to build an electric-powered airplane for mid-range (commuter) distances.
Eviation’s nine-passenger aircraft “Alice” is fully electric with a cruising speed of 280 miles (444 kilometers) per hour. Not only is the aircraft environmentally friendly but the costs of a flight are reduced by 90%, which makes flying regional distances affordable. Because it’s electric it’s also much quieter than a traditional plane.
In the race to create and commercialize new categories of sustainable air mobility systems, Eviation accelerated the prototype’s development by deploying the Reinvent the Sky industry solution experience based on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. This scalable solution supported the company’s holistic approach to 3D, composite design and flow simulation with improved collaboration, all while offering full data security in a single, standards-based environment.
Implementing the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud, including integrated applications for creative design and simulation of aerodynamic behavior, allowed Eviation to develop an innovative airplane concept from the ground up. The project involved over 160 suppliers and partners located all over the world, making one of the biggest challenges to enable an effective workflow among all these teams. The collaboration capabilities of the platform are key for Eviation to exchange ideas and share knowledge across disciplines at any time.
In developing Alice, 3D simulation applications within CATIA create a holistic design approach for complicated 3D surfaces, leading to optimum aerodynamics and mechanical systems. Because these and other applications are integrated on the same platform, the teams across the globe have full transparency and traceability. This well-defined workflow means all stakeholders can see how one part on the airplane affects another part, accelerating development.
To know more about Eviation and how they are turning their vision for environmentally friendly regional aircraft into reality, read the case study or watch the video below.
