Regenerative Braking Capability Analysis of an Electric Taxiing System for a Single Aisle Midsize Aircraft

This paper investigates the effect of regenerative braking on the overall energy consumption of an electric taxiing system which is integrated in the main landing gear of a single aisle midsize aircraft. Besides predicting the electric taxing energy consumption for the selected aircraft, a system level analysis of the proposed system is presented that ultimately yields main powertrain component performance requirements. In the evaluated system, electric motors are responsible for the aircraft’s propulsion while taxiing on ground. First, the system’s modeling process is analyzed in order to size an electrified traction system that matches conventional taxi performances. Based on the aircraft’s mass and the interaction between the wheels and the tarmac, a simulation model for an electric taxiing system is developed. This model is simulated across four real taxiing drive cycles to evaluate and characterize the energy and power requirements of the traction system. Moreover, the power and energy ratings of the traction system (electric motors, power electronics and energy storage device) are determined by the consideration of four real taxiing scenarios. The assumptions, made to size the powertrain, and especially the electric motor specifications are confirmed by the simulation results. Furthermore, the results of the considered drive cycles display that regenerative braking can potentially enable a reduction in the overall energy use to electrically taxi the aircraft on ground of up to 15 % on average.