China Helicopter Research and Development Institute Electric Helicopter (technology demonstrator)

Electric Helicopter (technology demonstrator)
AVIC China Helicopter Research and Development Institute (CHRDI)
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
www.chrdi.avic.com

The information provided here is as accurate as possible; however, eVTOL information from China is sometimes sparse, incomplete or conflicting. China is promoting what they call the "low-altitude economy" — a new push for general aviation — which includes both crewed and uncrewed passenger and air cargo eVTOL aircraft.

While little is known about the project, in 2019, Deng Jinghui, chief designer at the China Helicopter Research and Development Institute in Jingdezhen, China, said they have added an electric tail rotor to an AVIC AC311 helicopter and trial demonstrations have already taken place. (The Chinese AC311 helicopter is the equivalent of Airbus Helicopters H120 light utility single turbine engine helicopter, formerly known as the EC120 Colibri helicopter).

Replacing a conventional tail rotor with an electric version is our first step in exploring and verifying the technical feasibility of an all-electric helicopter.

—Deng Jinghui

Jinghui said their engineers plan to spend about two years to test the performance of an electric tail rotor. Once the tail rotor tests are successfully completed, they will then remove the main turbine engine and replace it with an electric motor and additional components and software needed for the conversion to an electric helicopter and see if they can make a successful transformation and validate the changes will extensive testing. Their goal is to have a working electric helicopter within a decade.

The biggest advantage of an electric helicopter, Deng said, is that it will not need a transmission which is not only one of the essential parts in a helicopter but also one of the most sophisticated components in conventional helicopters.

When converting a conventional aircraft to electric, it greatly reduces the empty weight of the aircraft, therefore increasing its range or payload or both. For example, there is the weight of the turbine engine, the transmission, the shaft that turns the rear rotor blade and the rear rotorblade’s gearbox, and don’t forget that the gas tank alone weighs 321 kg,m (707 lbs) in the AVIC AC311 helicopter! On reducing complexity, the engine and transmission has many parts, so when and internal combustion powerplant is eliminated, the aircraft is much less mechanically complex. For example, there is only one moving part in an electric motor.

By converting a combustion powered helicopter into an electric one, there are multiple advantages including reducing the weight of the helicopter, making it less complex, improves control, increases reliability, increases safety, it costs less to produce, it costs less to operate and there are no emissions.

The research engineers noted the success of electric helicopters will depend upon whether engineers can design these helicopters with the same or better performance and duration abilities as we have with conventional helicopters flying today.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Passenger electric helicopter technology demonstrator
• Piloting: 1 pilot
• Capacity: Unknown
• Cruise speed: Unknown
• Rotorblades: 1 main rotorblade (powered by at least one electric motor, possibly two electric motors)
• Electric motors: 2 electric motors (or more)
• Power source: Battery packs
• Fuselage: AC311 (this is the equivalent of an Airbus H120 helicopter fuselage)
• Windows: Regular H120 helicopter windows
• Tail: 1 rear tail rotor (powered by an electric motor)
• Landing gear: Fixed skid landing gear
• Safety features: The helicopter is also more reliable using electric motors than conventional cus The helicopter can autorotate if there is a power failure.

Related Aircraft:

• Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) AG-EX (technology demonstrator)
• Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) AR-E300 (prototype)
• Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) AR-E3000 (prototype)
• AVIC China Helicopter Research and Development Institute (CHRDI) Sylan (mockup)
• China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., LTD. (AVIC) General Aviation eVTOL (mockup)

Resources:

• China Helicopter Research and Development Institute website
• Hindawi website 
• Article: Electric helicopter research underway, China Daily, July 30, 2019
• Article: Electric helicopter research underway, ECNS, July 30, 2019 
• PDF report: China’s Aviation Industry: Lumbering Forward, Peter Wood & Robert Stewart, Ph.D,  Aug. 2, 2019
• Article: Deng Jinghui, chief designer of the Helicopter Institute, won the National Innovation Award, AVIC, June 3, 2020