Originally Posted by
tdracer
Why the extra complication and weight of a fuel cell/electric motor? Just burn the H2 in a gas turbine.
Quite true, TD. Even the best fuel cells are beaten by a GE-90 in power to weight ratio.
While the electric propulsion is interesting, I just don't see it being practical unless there is a massive breakthrough in battery technology resulting in much lighter batteries.
That is the current dilemma. Meanwhile, I do wonder how a hybrid electric fan would stack up against conventional turbofan power. Maintenance would certainly be less and I would imagine somewhat lower emissions.
You're going to need a lot of copper to transmit power from a tail generator to wing mounted electric motors.
True enough, Ken. I feel sure there would be a net weight savings in swapping some copper conductors for pneumatic plumbing.