Imagine if the wings of a plane didn't just hold the aircraft up, but also acted as the battery. Instead of carrying heavy battery packs as extra luggage, the actual structure of the plane stores the energy. This project adds smart sensors to these 'battery-wings' to keep track of health and safety in real-time.
Electric aircraft suffer from a heavy weight penalty because batteries are dead weight that do not contribute to the aircraft's structure. This limits the range and payload of next-generation commuter and regional aircraft.
A full-scale wing tip demonstrator (1.42m x 0.69m) embedding 40 quasi-solid-state Li-ion cells and an integrated sensor monitoring system.
If you are an electric aircraft OEM dealing with the heavy weight penalty of traditional battery packs — this project developed structural batteries that share load-bearing functions with the airframe. This allows for a significant reduction in overall aircraft weight while maintaining energy storage.
If you are a carbon fiber component manufacturer dealing with low-value structural parts — this project developed a way to integrate quasi-solid-state Li-ion cells into solid laminate and sandwich composite structures. This transforms a passive part into a high-value energy storage module.
If you are an avionics sensor developer dealing with the difficulty of monitoring embedded energy systems — this project developed on-cell and in-structure sensors connected to a chip-based monitoring unit. This enables precise safety monitoring for integrated structural batteries.
Based on available project data, specific unit costs or pricing models are not provided; the EU contribution for the research is EUR 3,469,707.
The project focuses on virtual scale-up and a full-scale wing tip demonstrator, but it aims for TRL 4 by 2025, meaning it is not yet at industrial scale.
Based on available project data, specific IP and licensing agreements are not detailed, though the consortium includes 4 industry partners and 2 SMEs.
The project specifically addresses issues related to flight certification to facilitate the use of structural batteries in commuter and regional hybrid electric aircraft.
The project aims to qualify the technology at TRL 4 by the end of the project period in 2025.
The consortium is well-balanced for technology transfer, featuring a 50% industry ratio with 4 industrial partners, including 2 SMEs. With 8 partners across 6 countries (AT, DE, FR, IL, IT, SI), the project combines academic research (1 university) and specialized research institutes (3) with commercial entities, ensuring that the development of the structural battery is aligned with aerospace manufacturing needs.
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