World’s First Serial Hybrid Electric Aircraft to Fly at Le Bourget

LONDON, June 20, 2011 -

- With photo

Siemens AG, Diamond Aircraft and EADS are set to present the
world’s first aircraft with a serial hybrid electric drive system
at the Paris Air Show Le Bourget 2011. The two-seater motor glider
successfully completed its maiden flight on June 8 at the Wiener
Neustadt airfield in Vienna, Austria. The aircraft was built by the
three partners to test the hybrid electric drive concept. In the
future, the technology, which is intended for later use also in
large-scale aircraft, will cut fuel consumption and emissions by 25
percent, compared to today’s most efficient aircraft drives.

Air traffic accounts for some 2.2 percent of CO2 emissions
worldwide. For this reason, aircraft, too, must become more
efficient. One possible solution - which Siemens and its partners
Diamond Aircraft and EADS are testing in the DA36 E-Star motor
glider - is to electrify the drive system.

“A serial hybrid electric drive can be scaled for a wide range
of uses, making it highly suitable for aircraft as well,” said Dr.
Frank Anton, the initiator of electric aircraft development at
Siemens. “The first thing we want to do is test the technology in
small aircraft. In the long term, however, the drive system will
also be used in large-scale aircraft. We want to cut fuel
consumption and emissions by 25 percent, compared to today’s most
efficient technologies. This will make air travel more
sustainable.”

The motor glider, which is based on Diamond Aircraft’s HK36
Super Dimona, is the only aircraft of its kind in the world. It is
the first to use a so-called serial hybrid electric drive, which
has been utilised to date only in cars, as an integrated drive
train. The plane’s propeller is powered by a 70kW electric motor
from Siemens.

Electricity is supplied by a small Wankel engine from Austro
Engine with a generator that functions solely as a power source. A
Siemens converter supplies the electric motor with power from the
battery and the generator. Fuel consumption is very low since the
combustion engine always runs with a constant low output of 30kW. A
battery system from EADS provides the increased power required
during takeoff and climb. The accumulator is recharged during the
cruising phase. “The serial hybrid electric drive concept makes
possible a quiet electric takeoff and a considerable reduction in
fuel consumption and emission,” said Christian Dries, the owner of
Diamond Aircraft. “It also enables aircraft to cover the required
long distances.”

The DA36 E-Star will be exhibited at the Paris Air Show Le
Bourget in a flight demonstration every day from June 20 to June
26, 2011.

Press pictures are available at href="www.siemens.com/presspictures/electricaircraft">www.siemens.com/presspictures/electricaircraft

Notes to editors:

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global powerhouse in
electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry,
energy and healthcare sectors. For over 160 years, Siemens has
stood for technological excellence, innovation, quality,
reliability and internationality. The company is the world’s
largest provider of environmental technologies. More than one-third
of its total revenue stems from green products and solutions. In
fiscal 2010, which ended on September 30, 2010, revenue from
continuing operations (excluding Osram and Siemens IT Solutions and
Services) totaled €69 billion and net income from continuing
operations €4.3 billion. At the end of September 2010, Siemens had
around 336,000 employees worldwide on the basis of continuing
operations. Further information is available on the Internet at:
www.siemens.com.

About Siemens in the UK

Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 168 years ago and
now employs around 16,000 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues
were £4.1 billion. As a leading global engineering and
technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions
to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors
of energy, industry and healthcare. Siemens has offices and
factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley,
Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany.
For more information, visit href="www.siemens.co.uk">www.siemens.co.uk

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For more information, contact: Germany: Florian Martini, Telephone: +49-8- 636-33520, E-mail: florian.martini at siemens.com, Siemens AG, Wittelsbacherplatz 2, 80333 Munich. UK: Laura Smith, PR Manager, Siemens plc, Tel. +44(0)1276-696374, Mobile : +44(0)7808-823598, Laura.smith at siemens.com