How Tapes Can Provide Momentum to Electric Aviation and eVTOL
Electric vehicles and other forms of mass transportation, such as aviation, are at the heart of the current shift to reduce the number of combustion engines and the use of fossil fuels. The remarkable advancements in battery technology and electric motors for electric cars have seen significant progress in recent years, paving the way for the transfer of technology to other forms of transportation, such as aviation.
This is evident in an initial but rapidly accelerating transition from traditional fossil fuel-based propulsion systems to electric solutions in aviation and eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing vehicles). Fasten your seatbelts, adjust your seatbacks to the upright position, make yourself comfortable, and take off with us on a journey to explore how specialised tapes for EV batteries can help achieve new horizons in electric aviation.
After a temporary decline due to COVID regulations, domestic, international, freight, and passenger air traffic is now one of the fastest-growing sectors. In addition to making combustion-based aviation more efficient and safer with fossil fuels, new technologies such as electric aviation are becoming increasingly prominent on the radar of manufacturers and airlines.
The main and most obvious reasons for exploring electric aviation are environmental concerns. Alternative and bio-based fuels are seen as transitional technologies, but electric aviation can also help achieve the goal of switching to more environmentally friendly options than traditional fossil-fuel-powered aircraft.
However, there are other positive effects that make the transition to electric aviation highly appealing for companies. Fewer moving parts and the simpler construction of electric motors mean less maintenance, and the higher performance of electric motors compared to traditional engines could result in improved speed, range, and efficiency. Altogether, these factors could lead to significant cost savings for airlines and manufacturers.
For passengers, people living and working near airports, and the natural environment, electric aeroplanes could offer another significant advantage over traditional technologies: noise reduction. Electric motors are much quieter, which could lead to reduced noise pollution and might allow airports to extend take-off and landing periods where strict noise prevention regulations, such as those during the night, currently limit airlines.
Unfortunately, there are still challenges preventing electric aviation and eVTOL aircraft transport from reaching new heights, as we will explore in more detail in the next section.
Although battery-electric propulsion has enormous potential in future aviation, there are some challenges and limitations that are currently keeping implementation on the ground. In an aeroplane, every kilogram counts, and batteries are heavy, which contradicts the efforts to reduce weight in aviation. Therefore, one of the biggest challenges is to develop lightweight batteries with extreme power density and the capacity to power aeroplanes for extended periods or long-haul flights.
The risk of fire can be a serious threat in electric vehicles (EVs), but the requirements for an aeroplane without the option of immediate disembarkation are even more critical. Engineers still need to develop ways to reconcile passenger and aeroplane safety with the extreme power density requirements of batteries for aircraft.
And it takes time to charge and recharge such enormous batteries. Besides the need to design and install new charging infrastructure, the need for ultra-fast charging can become a hurdle as the time on the ground needs to be minimised for competitive efficiency.
We learned that electric aviation could save costs, but as the technology is still in its early stages, immense investments are required to develop and manufacture battery-electric aeroplanes.
None of the above is entirely new; all these challenges existed for EVs as well — and have been solved with innovative materials and technologies. Learn how special materials helped to overcome battery-electric challenges on the ground and how they could help electric aviation reach new horizons.
Typical compression pads such as polyurethane-based Norseal® PF Series are designed to optimise the CFD (Compression Force Deflection) curve and keep cells under ideal pressure during charging and discharging, allowing improved performance and lifetime of the battery pack. Silicone materials such as Norseal TRP1000 can help to mitigate thermal runaway (TRP) and enable batteries with higher power density and durability. FR1000 Mica Tape can also be used to protect areas of the pack where high temperature and flame resistance are required.
Our broad range of Thermal Interface Materials (TIM), Pack Seals and Thermal Runaway Propagation Protection (TRP) solutions are at the forefront of maximising safety in EV batteries and the in-depth expertise our teams developed over years could help transition and tailor technologies into other markets like electric aviation and eVTOL aircraft.
As fast and ultra-fast charging can have a significant impact on efficiency and profitability of electric aviation, our know-how and unparalleled portfolio of solutions for EV charging equipment could help engineers in other industries solve issues around electric and high-current isolation, thermal management, shielding and other applications, allowing minimisation of charging time and downtime of aircraft.
To make the sky the only limit in the future of electric aviation, rather than energy storage or charging infrastructure, manufacturers can rely on existing expertise and solutions from other sectors. Naturally, this new trend is just taxiing onto the runway, but our tape experts have already boarded to provide the necessary thrust for a successful take-off. Now it’s your turn to secure your ticket to new horizons.