Performance Study of a VH-3 Hybrid-Electric eCRM-002 Aircraft Comparing Reserve Energy and Range to Fully Electric and Conventional Propulsion Alternatives

Using VerdeGo Aero’s third generation VH-3-185 (VH-3) hybrid-electric powerplant to overcome the challenges of battery energy density, the future of urban air mobility via electrified propulsion may not be as distant as it seems. This paper explores the feasibility of retrofitting a modified Uber eCRM-002 airframe with four different approaches to aircraft propulsion: a fully electric battery-powered system, a VH-3 hybrid-electric system, and two separate conventional engine systems. Through an in-depth conceptual weight buildup, aerodynamic analysis, mission performance, and range evaluation study, this paper reveals how a hybrid design could yield a tenfold increase in range over a fully electric configuration of the same weight. While the conventional layouts were compromised by weight restrictions and the all-electric design critically limited in energy capacity, the VH-3 Hybrid CRM was the only aircraft configuration found capable of outperforming the base eCRM-002 design and achieving all FAA mandated reserve fuel regulations.