Reducing greenhouse gas emissions has become a priority for civil transport aviation. One of the possible solutions investigated by current aeronautics research is the introduction of electric propulsion, which would drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to flight. This paper addresses this topic in depth; the work is structured in two intertwined parts. The first relates to an extensive review of the state of the art, starting with the analysis of electrical technology enablers for aviation applications, and leading to the investigation of current proposals of aircraft conceptual designs, both for short-medium range and regional class. This review section, which is presented with a critical approach, provides the relevant indications for the definition of the technical framework of the second part of the paper, in which the conceptual development of a novel hybrid-electric aircraft is proposed. Specifically, the outcomes from the analysis of the state of the art suggest that the hybrid-electric aircraft should belong to the regional category, and that energy efficient solutions for the airframe should be considered. Moreover, potentials and limitations of integrating hybrid-electric propulsion are carefully detailed, and reasonably realistic technology levels for the next decade have been selected for the design of the proposed aircraft. A box-wing airframe architecture has been adopted as it has the potential to minimize induced aerodynamic drag while increasing the load transport capacity, thus representing an aerodynamic efficient solution. A design and optimization framework has been developed to evaluate the integration of the hybrid-electric propulsion with the box-wing lifting system. The coupling of these two technologies, together with a paradigm change in the aircraft design approach, allow to identify conceptual solutions that minimize fuel consumption throughout the typical regional mission envelope, leading to a potential emission-free regional aircraft.

减少温室气体排放已成为民用运输航空的首要任务。当前航空研究研究的可能解决方案之一是引入电力推进，这将大大减少与飞行相关的温室气体排放。本文深入讨论了这个主题；该作品由两个相互交织的部分组成。第一个涉及对现有技术的广泛审查，首先分析航空应用的电气技术推动因素，然后对当前的中短程和支线飞机概念设计提案进行调查。本综述部分以批判性的方式提出，为论文第二部分的技术框架的定义提供了相关指示，其中提出了新型混合动力飞机的概念​​开发。具体来说，对现有技术的分析结果表明，混合动力电动飞机应属于区域类别，并且应考虑机身的节能解决方案。此外，还仔细详细介绍了集成混合动力电力推进的潜力和局限性，并为拟议飞机的设计选择了未来十年合理现实的技术水平。采用箱翼机身架构，因为它有可能最大限度地减少气动阻力，同时增加负载运输能力，从而代表了一种高效的空气动力解决方案。开发了一个设计和优化框架来评估混合动力电动推进系统与箱翼升降系统的集成。这两种技术的结合，加上飞机设计方法的范式变化，可以确定概念性解决方案，最大限度地减少整个典型支线任务范围内的燃油消耗，从而实现潜在的零排放支线飞机。