Petalite concludes UK eVTOL charging infrastructure demonstration
As eVTOLs creep closer to an entry into commercial service, advance consideration for the infrastructure they will require is every bit as essential as the vehicles themselves.
Part of the UKRI’s Future Flight Challenge and funded by Innovate UK, the FFLIP (Future Flight and Land Infrastructure Programme) was set up to “deliver a full-scale multi-modal demonstration in Oxfordshire,” assisted by just over three million in funding. Running from October 2022, it was led by electric vehicle charging company Petalite; aiming to develop and integrate “scalable, high-power charging solutions for eVTOLs, drones, and EVs”.
During a live demonstration at Bicester, Oxfordshire, Petalite explained how its prototype charging post and power hub “successfully charged both an electric vehicle and a drone simultaneously, within the available grid capacity”. This milestone, continued Petalite, “validates the potential for 600kW electric charging infrastructure, supporting the continuous operation of electric ground vehicles and eVTOLs in the future”. The drone used in the test was provided by Bedfordshire-based Arc Aerosytems.
Petalite describes its proprietary technology as a “unique AC-DC conversion…that redefines the possibilities of DC fast charging”. Its modular system can be applied to ground-based electric vehicles as well as aircraft. “Successfully demonstrating our prototype charger and power hub in the field brings us one step closer to revolutionising high-power EV and eVTOL charging,” commented Petalite CTO Robert Nash.
Although not directly involved in this study, Oxfordshire’s Bicester Motion is also home to the UK’s first vertiport, with developer Skyports Infrastructure now gearing up for the operational testing phase. Developed as part of the Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium, this facility has also been backed by the UKRI Future Flight Challenge.
