Among the ideas that have contributed most to improving aircraft efficiency is the MEA (More Electric Aircraft) concept.
The MEA conceptMore Electric Aircraft (The More Electric Aircraft) isn't new. It emerged in the mid-20th century, during World War II, with the proposal from some military aircraft designers to reducing the weight of aircraft, whose drive systems were fundamentally based on mechanical principles. It seemed possible. The electrical systems were making their way through effectively.
As well as weight reduction, electrical systems made it possible to obtain a better control, monitoring, tolerance to system failures, cost reduction maintenance or a increase in reliability of the aircraft in general. NASA intervened with the completion of several studies that supported this trend and incorporated many of those concepts into space race engineering.
The overall goal, before and now, is to achieve the reduction and even the elimination of drive systems traditional for the electrical system to be the largest proportion or the only one on the aircraft.
The latest designed and manufactured aircraft are much more efficient than those from just a couple of decades ago, thanks to the development of the MEA concept, alongside the use of new materials and other improved practices. The best ambassadors for this trend are the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 XWB.
In this infographics we help you get to grips with the concept of the “more electric aircraft” so you can get to know a little better how the aircraft we use more and more have changed and improved.
