EurekAlert June 7, 2021
Researchers at the Pennsylvania State University are exploring the requirements for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles and designing and testing potential battery power sources. eVTOL’s unique operating profiles and requirements present grand challenges to batteries. The team’s work identifies the primary battery requirements for eVTOL in terms of specific energy and power, fast charging, cycle life, and safety, revealing that eVTOL batteries have more stringent requirements than electric vehicle batteries in all aspects. They found that fast charging is essential for downsizing aircraft and batteries for low cost while achieving high vehicle utilization rates to maximize revenues. They experimentally demonstrated two energy-dense Li-ion battery designs that can recharge adequate energy for 80 km eVTOL trips in 5–10 min and sustain over 2,000 fast-charge cycles, laying a foundation for eVTOL batteries…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Graphical abstract. Credit: Joule, June 07, 2021Â