to avoid delay, airbus drops lithium-ion batteries

When it comes to volatile new lithium
Boeing and Airbus are moving in different directions.
Faced with the possibility of a long-time investigation last month into the cause of a battery fire or smoke on two Boeing 787 aircraft, Airbus said on Friday that, it has abandoned plans to use the technology on a large scale to come
A350 fuselage jet
XWB to avoid possible delays in aircraft production.
But Boeing said later in the day that it will continue to use batteries, and that it is working with regulators to reduce risk even if it does not clearly identify the cause of the danger.
Of the 787 vehicles delivered so far, all 50 have been parked in the middleJanuary.
The company said on Friday that while these problems have embarrassed Boeing and could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, \"we didn\'t learn anything in the investigation that would lead us to make a different decision on lithium --ion batteries.
\"In a way, Boeing\'s bluff reflects a feeling from battery experts that they have narrowed down the range of batteries manufactured by the Japanese company GS Yuasa that could fail.
This adds to the possibility that some changes may ultimately provide sufficient assurance for the safe use of the battery.
Airbus plans to make more limited use of lithium.
More ion batteries than Boeing, and by turning to a more traditional nickel battery
Cd batteries, the company can make the necessary changes when making aircraft.
On the other hand, Boeing has a strong incentive to stick to lithium-
Hope to find the ion Battery of the solution.
Industry and government officials say Boeing may not have to go through such a wide range under flight safety regulations-and time-consuming —
If lithium is redesigned-
An ion battery, just like it switches to a conventional battery.
Although the behavior of more traditional batteries is better understood, they have not yet been certified for 787 s, and the batteries and related components of the aircraft\'s electrical system must be created and tested from scratch.
According to the safety directive to stop the aircraft, if Boeing can convince the Federal Aviation Administration to redesign the lithium-
Ion batteries can work.
Federal and industry officials say Boeing may have to separate eight of its batteries,
Or increase the insulation between them.
To prevent failures in one unit from cascading with other units in the \"heat out of control\" that cause smoke and fire.
Battery experts are also studying whether vibration in flight increases the risk of unnecessary contact between batteries.
There is no doubt that Boeing will have to shield the battery in a stronger metal container and make any hazardous material outside the aircraft easier to drain.
Aviation experts say the review of these changes reflects the problem that safety regulators may end up having difficulty calculating: if the battery is not sure what is causing problems on both aircraft, is there a way to ensure the safety of the battery?
So far, most public statements by regulators have focused on the need to determine the cause of the battery problem.
However, after working for a few weeks, investigators can only find limited clues in the charred remains of two batteries.
Therefore, government and external experts have been working closely with Boeing engineers to study lithium-
Ion batteries have started since Boeing received battery approval in 2007, and in essence it is trying to come up with a safer design.
Government and industry officials said Friday it was too early to know whether Boeing could Design enough changes to meet the needs of regulators and the flying public.
Airbus said it began notifying airline customers on Thursday that it would not advance its original plan to use lithium
Ion battery on A350s.
\"Airbus believes that this is the most appropriate way forward for project execution and reliability,\" said Airbus spokesman Marcella Muratore . \".
Airbus completed the assembly of the first test version of the A350 at the end of last year and used lithium-
The ion battery factory in Toulouse, France has already started production.
\"Airbus is at a time when they have to make a decision,\" said Scott Hamilton, general manager of Leeham Company, an airline consultancy at Wash Issaquah.
\"It was clear that they decided to take a safer course to go on schedule.
They can always go back to lithium-
If 787 problems are solved, ion.
\"But if Boeing re-uses the old batteries, they may have to re-identify the entire electrical system ,\"Hamilton said.
\"So it\'s not in Boeing\'s interest to do so.
\"In this case, Airbus has been behind Boeing for a few years in developing a new generation of fuel, and has also benefited from it --
Efficient plane, sir. Hamilton said.
Airbus has more flexibility, he said, because the a350, which will compete with the 787 and Boeing 777, has not yet been certified by regulators.
Airbus has booked 617 A350 orders from customers of 35 airlines, while Boeing has added about 800 orders to 787. Ms.
Muratore, a spokesman for Airbus, said the company-
The ion battery system, developed with the French supplier Saft, is \"sturdy and secure\", adding that Airbus still plans to use lithium-
Ion batteries on the A350s will be used for flight tests scheduled to begin this summer.
Decision to restore nickel-
Manufacturing a Cd battery is purely to avoid delays in the first delivery of the a350, she said.
Battery manufacturers have launched lithium
Ion batteries are lighter and charge faster than nickel
CD battery.
Promotional materials from GS Yuasa and Saft also describe the technology that requires less maintenance than conventional batteries, reducing the operating costs of airlines.
Battery experts say that while lithium
Ion batteries are 30% to 40% lighter than conventional batteries, and they contribute the least to the total weight of Jets: Boeing 787, for example, has an empty weight of about 242,000 pounds;
Two lithium.
Each ion battery weighs 63 pounds.
Analysts say the cost of making the switch is likely to be small.
\"This seems to be a perfectly sensible approach,\" said Nick Cunningham, an aerospace industry analyst with London\'s institutional partners.