Helping Urban Air Mobility take off safely
For decades, aerospace engineers have been designing, developing and testing complex technical and mechanical aircraft systems to withstand the most extreme conditions. To enable a more sustainable future for flight, we must ensure that electrical propulsion systems can meet these requirements while working to understand any uncertainties.
As part of our global network of test capabilities, our facilities in Bavaria, Germany allow us to develop electric propulsion technologies for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Regional Air Mobility (RAM), to learn more about their behaviours to enable us to mature our technologies and advance our product development.
Over the last few years, electric machines have undergone thorough test programmes in Munich, including the 200 kW motor that powered the CityAirbus Alpha eVTOL demonstrator. The test benches have been upgraded to test our new generation of air-cooled electric motors for AAM. A new test hall expanding our electrical machine test capability will be commissioned in 2024. The test capability covers all power ranges required for AAM up to 800 kW.
Our smaller test bench for electric machines can perform specific tests on specially adapted motors on a smaller scale and with lower output. These tests provide valuable learnings for future designs in higher power classes and enable us to adapt technologies based on our test results, integrating even greater safety and noise reduction into our first prototypes.
Our engineers can also test the responsiveness and robustness of power electronics for AAM by simulating a variety of environmental loads in our state-of-the-art laboratory. These tests push our converters to the limits of their planned operational range, enabling us to ensure the highest possible levels of safety in further development and deliver an advanced product through verification and validation.