Proactive Investors - UK flying taxi maker Vertical Aerospace Ltd said it has cut the ribbon on its dedicated new aerospace battery facility in Bristol.
The company said the 15,000 sq ft Vertical Energy Centre site hosts a 50-strong team and is the UK’s “most advanced aerospace battery facility”, developing battery technology to enable greater power-to-weight ratios for electric vertical and take-off and landing (eVTOL) flights.
Work at the site with Taiwan-based Molicel, under a battery partnership agreed last summer, has begun on cell testing for use in battery pack modules, it said.
As well as design and testing, the centre will ramp up to also work on manufacturing and commercialisation of the custom-made battery pack for its VX4 aircraft, for which American Airlines has reserved the first 50 that roll off the production line.
Initial activities included assembling the first in-house developed prototype battery modules, with drop testing and tests of temperature, vibration, thermal durability and more, the company said.
Vertical, which last month secured £14mln of government funding through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme, noted that it already has intellectual property around battery design, including cell packaging, cooling and electronic battery management systems.
The aim is for a 220Wh/kg battery system for the first eVTOL to go into service, with Vertical said will enable its VX4 to conduct back-to-back missions, with fast-charging cycles in-between, and minimised impact on the packs’ cycle life.
The ATI funding will help fund a project in partnership with University College London (UCL) to increase the core capability of Vertical’s battery system, improve recycling efficiency, and increase the scope of its use in additional markets.
Vertical has boasted of a conditional pre-order book for 1,350 aircraft from customers ranging from American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Japan Airlines through to leasing pre-orders from Avolon.