Motor

Deep Insight

Electric motors for aircraft

Developments in motors for e-aircraft are becoming intertwined with issues of energy storage and certification. Nick Flaherty reports There are many different designs for motors being developed for a variety of electric aircraft platforms, from vertical take-off air taxis to 100-seaters with a flying time of an hour or so for regional flights.

In Conversation

Marko Lehtimaki

The CTO at Verge Motorcycles tells Rory Jackson why rider comfort is more important than aesthetics in its hubless direct-drive e-bike The riding experience is important in consumer EVs, especially electric motorbikes. Persuading veteran riders to go electric is far more than a matter of mitigating range anxiety, as the bikes are ridden for...

Web exclusive

GKN Automotive unveils new off-the-shelf electric drive unit concept

GKN Automotive has unveiled a plug-and-play e-drive concept designed for niche EV players and conversion companies. GKN says the eCrate concept is the basis for a cost-effective modular e-drive system using market-proven technology in an off-the-shelf format.

Web exclusive

Elinta Motors unveils third-gen 400 and 800 V powertrains

Elinta Motors has launched its third-generation 400 and 800 V systems. The 400 V version is aimed at light to medium-duty vehicles, and features a 160 kW motor and up to 168 kWh with four battery packs.

Grid

Additive manufacturing advance in stator production

Researchers in the US and UK have used additive manufacturing (AM) to develop a 3D-printed motor with materials previously considered too brittle to use (writes Nick Flaherty). The researchers, at the University of Sheffield in the UK and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US, have developed a 10 kW prototype motor that they are scaling up to 40 kW for e-mobility applications.

Web exclusive

Helix announces success of aerospace electric propulsion demonstrator project

Motors and inverters manufacturer Helix has announced the completion of its direct drive scalable aerospace electric propulsion demonstrator technology project. Known internally as the XBS, the project ran in partnership with the UK’s Midlands

In Conversation

Ian Foley

Equipmake’s CEO explains the technologies that underpin the company’s evolution into scale production of e-mobility motors. Rory Jackson reports While specialising in a market niche is useful for some e-mobility component manufacturers, others can find that it pays to diversify. Equipmake falls squarely into the latter category, having...

Dossier

magniX magni350, 650 and magniDrive 100

Rory Jackson looks at how these electric powertrains and their inverter have been designed for crewed aircraft integrators In every part of aerospace engineering, a race is on to break new ground and claim headline-grabbing milestones in sustainable aviation. While it might seem to some that commercial airliners are moving at a sluggish pace...

Web exclusive

Magna launches modular e-decoupling unit for battery EVs

Magna has announced the start of production of a modular e-decoupling unit to support multiple battery EV programmes for a German premium OEM. The unit is an electromechanical device that disconnects an EV’s...

Web exclusive

Helix develops 650 kW continuous output low-inductance motor for hypercar project

The X-Division of UK-based Helix has announced the SPX177, which it has supplied for a hypercar motor project known as REB. Capable of delivering 650 kW of continuous power, the company says...