Sponsored by HBK In recent years there has been an increased interest in electric and more electric aircraft, including both novel all-electric aircraft, drones, rigid air ships and traditional aircraft with efficient and more electric components. Validating these systems and components has challenges due to the nature of aerospace testing as well as the high… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "electric aircraft"
Airbus boosts cryogenic technology testing for electric aircraft systems
Airbus is developing a testing platform called Advanced Superconducting and Cryogenic Experimental powertraiN Demonstrator (ASCEND) to explore the impact of superconducting materials and cryogenic temperatures on the performance of an aircraft’s electric propulsion systems. The introduction of superconducting materials can lower electrical resistance, which reduces power loss in conductors. When coupled with liquid hydrogen at… Read more »
Rolls-Royce and Tecnam to deliver electric aircraft to Scandinavian airline in 2026
Rolls-Royce and Italian aeronautics manufacturer Tecnam are joining forces to deliver an all-electric passenger aircraft for the commuter market. The new plane is expected to go into revenue service with Widerøe, a regional airline serving Scandinavia, in 2026. Rolls-Royce and Widerøe began a joint research program to evaluate and develop electric aircraft concepts in 2019…. Read more »
Electric aircraft maker Bye Aerospace closes $10 million in funding
Denver-based Bye Aerospace, developer of the all-electric eFlyer family of FAA Part 23-certified aircraft, has raised $10 million from venture capital investors since the beginning of the year, in two separate rounds. Founder and CEO George E. Bye said the company is using the new funding to begin work on Serial #001, the first production-conforming… Read more »
Electric aircraft maker Lilium completes $240-million funding round
Munich-based aviation company Lilium is developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed to serve regional air travel markets. The company recently completed a $240-million funding round led by Tencent, with participation from other existing investors, including Atomico, Freigeist and LGT. The new funds bring the total sum raised to date to over… Read more »
Wright Electric unveils design concepts for electric aircraft
Wright Electric, a partner of European airline easyJet, recently unveiled design concepts for the Wright 1, a 186-seat electric aircraft. Wright is building a 1.5 MW electric motor and 3 kV inverter. The company is in discussions with BAE Systems to develop flight controls and energy management systems. Wright plans to conduct ground tests in… Read more »
Siemens sells electric aircraft propulsion business to Rolls-Royce
Siemens is set to sell its eAircraft unit to Rolls-Royce – the companies expect the move to take place in late 2019. Siemens eAircraft develops electric and hybrid-electric propulsion systems for the aerospace industry. At locations in Munich and Erlangen in Germany as well as Budapest, Hungary, it cooperates with partners such as Airbus to… Read more »
Eviation and Kokam announce electric aircraft battery supply deal
Eviation Aircraft, a manufacturer of electric aircraft (profiled in the July/August 2017 issue of Charged), and South Korean battery manufacturer Kokam have entered into a battery supply deal valued at $1 million. Kokam batteries will be used to power EViation’s all-electric Alice aircraft, which is scheduled to fly by the end of this year. Alice,… Read more »
NASA’s Magnetic Materials Lab creates custom magnetic ribbons for electric aircraft
With a newly-acquired magnetic material caster, NASA’s Magnetic Materials Lab allows researchers to create custom alloy magnetic ribbons as large as one mile long and 50 mm wide. This ribbon can then be used to manufacture parts that generate or transform electrical power more efficiently and at a larger scale than ever before. “As the… Read more »
NASA inaugurates new Electric Aircraft Testbed
Commercial electric aircraft may lie far in the future, but NASA is conducting research on several fronts. Engineers at the NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) at NASA’s Glenn Research Center ran the new facility’s first test in September. Dr. Rodger Dyson led a team that successfully tested a 600-volt electrical power system that could realistically… Read more »