UK-based Vertical Aerospace has announced the opening of what "is believed to be the UK’s most advanced aerospace battery facility" in Bristol.
The Vertical Energy Centre (VEC) is a "multi-million-pound state-of-the-art, 15,000ft2 facility" where around fifty staff are developing proprietary battery technology to enable greater power-to-weight ratios for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The plant will build on Vertical's partnership with Molicel, a provider of "leading cell technology, and comes after Vertical's "significant progress with battery tests" after carrying out crash and thermal runaway testing under European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority supervision.
The company said it has "developed significant intellectual property around battery design including cell packaging, cooling and electronic battery management systems to deliver high-power, high-performance battery packs capable of powering eVTOL aircraft" and is aiming to enter into service with a 220Wh/kg battery system.
“Aircraft require high-performing and safer batteries than anything on the market today. This facility and our core technology will unlock this, bringing the reality of electric flight even closer," said Limhi Somerville,the head of Vertical’s powertrain team.