Vertical Aerospace Opens eVTOL Battery Facility

Vertical Aerospace, a UK-based electric aviation company, has opened a battery development facility in Bristol to power its VX4 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

The Vertical Energy Centre (VEC) in Bristol is “UK’s most advanced aerospace battery facility,” said the company, which will support the design, test, manufacture and commercialization of batteries to be installed on eVTOL aircraft.

The 15,000 square feet facility will host Vertical’s 50-member battery team, who have already started battery cell testing and prototype battery module assembling.

As the company is planning for its eVTOL air taxi to enter service in 2025, battery technology has been one of the deciding factors to fly and commercialize eVTOL aircraft. Before that happens, Vertical is working to bring its 220Wh/kg battery system into service.

Vertical partnered with battery cell technology provider Molicel last year and has secured £14 million (about US$17 million) in funding from the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) through a joint initiative with the UK government. The company has already carried out crash and thermal runaway testing under European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority supervision,

Limhi Somerville, Head of Vertical’s powertrain team, said this facility and the company’s core technology will bring “the reality of electric flight even closer.”

“Vertical’s investment in cutting-edge battery technology brings us one step closer to delivering zero-emission flight, a central objective of the Jet Zero Council,” said UK Minister for Investment, Lord Johnson, adding that the industry is essential in generating jobs and taking Britain’s economy into the future.

Global Sky Media has studied eVTOL batteries in “The Key Things to Know about eVTOL Batteries,” introducing current battery technology, as well as its direction for the future.

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