New Battery to Power eVTOLs
Revolutionary New Battery
Energy Dense, Rapid Recharge, Burst of Power
Engineers at Penn State University have designed a battery prototype that they say is capable of powering flying cars. The battery is specifically designed for e-VTOLs which take off and land vertically like a helicopter. The battery has to deliver a lot of power very quickly to get a flying car off the ground. The vehicles also require high energy density to keep flying. And, the recharge needs to be quick because the main use of e-VTOLs is expected to be as flying taxis for commuters with frequent takeoffs and landings. The Penn State team says their breakthrough battery can accomplish all of those requirements.
Prototype Successfully Tested
The Penn State team has successfully tested the performance of a pair of energy dense lithium ion batteries capable of delivering the power needed for a 50 mile, 5 to 10 minute e-VTOL flight. To prevent lithium spikes, lead researcher Chao-Yang Wang and his team added nickel foil to the battery design for rapid heating and a rapid burst of power to take off and land more efficiently. They say their battery delivers the three essentials to make e-VTOLs commercially viable with 15 takeoffs and landings twice a day: high energy density, a rapid burst of power and rapid recharging. Their next steps are to move their invention from prototype into commercialization.
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