Multifunctional design, feasibility and requirements for structural power composites in future electric air taxisShow others and affiliations
2023 (English)In: Journal of composite materials, ISSN 0021-9983, E-ISSN 1530-793X, Vol. 57, no 4, p. 817-827Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
This study investigates the viability of implementing multifunctional structural power composites in a four-seater air taxi, the CityAirbus. For a given specific energy of the power source, the cruise endurance can be approximately doubled by using structural power composites as opposed to conventional batteries. Replacing all the eligible composite mass and batteries with structural power composites can reduce the CityAirbus weight by 25%. To achieve the current design performance, the minimum required elastic modulus, strength, specific energy and power for the structural power composite are 54 GPa, 203 MPa, 74 Wh/kg and 376 W/kg, respectively: current state-of-the-art structural power composites are now approaching this level of performance. Hence, structural power composites are considered feasible for adoption in the urban air mobility sector and have the potential to improve endurance and facilitate commercialization. This paper also discusses several key challenges that must be addressed to realize the adoption of structural power composites in future electric air taxis.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
SAGE Publications , 2023. Vol. 57, no 4, p. 817-827
Keywords [en]
electric air taxi, feasibility, multifunctional design, requirements, structural battery, structural power composites, structural supercapacitor, Electric batteries, Taxicabs, Air taxi, Multi-functional design, Power, Requirement, Specific energy, Structural batteries, Structural power composite, Structural supercapacitors, Supercapacitor
National Category
Composite Science and Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-328106DOI: 10.1177/00219983221132621ISI: 000865137700001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85139481643OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-328106DiVA, id: diva2:1762166
Note
QC 20230602
2023-06-022023-06-022023-06-02Bibliographically approved