Aviation companies are looking for alternative energy solutions, including electric engines that run on hydrogen. Lee Sykes, commercial director at DSD, weighs in on the potential for hydrogen applications and on how this fuel source could have a positive impact on cost.

Read more here: https://www.verdict.co.uk/zeroavia-promises-commercial-carbon-free-flights-within-two-years/

Publication: Verdict

Author: Simone Bateson

It’s truly an exciting and highly opportunistic time for engineers, as we build out an entirely new energy ecosystem on a global scale, full of uncharted territory and exhilarating challenges.

While much of the obvious focus is on what will be made, the engineering community is focused on how it will be made. The mix of traditional engineering and software integration has caused nearly every manufacturer in the EV space to rethink how to build their development teams to get their products to market quickly, reliably and cost effectively.

At the recent SAE COMVEC™ a panel about the “war for talent” struck a chord with our team about the challenges we face, where we find ourselves and where we’re going as engineers. With an estimated $1.2 trillion being invested in EV development through 2030, the type of engineering necessary to build not only the vehicles themselves, but the technology and infrastructure to support them is requiring an entirely new type of thinking and collaboration – along with a significant amount of hiring. As we continue to see investments taking place in our backyard, such as CNH Industrial recently announcing that it has opened a new technical center in metro Detroit to support its growing innovations in electrification, the competition for talent locally surges.

DSD has a strong history of developing powertrain technology and collaborating with OEM partners to supplement and reinforce their internal teams. Our expertise lies in having experienced and forward-thinking engineers who go into a project with an open mind to find the right solution for a specific application. With years of expertise in the segment, our company has continued to evolve our EV propulsion capabilities and excels at developing motors and controls for the automotive, aviation, commercial vehicle, off-highway and defense industries.

The COMVEC panel drew attention to the obvious need for expanding engineering talent, training and hiring, but also of having partners in place to supplement manufacturers where needed.

Further, a recent Automotive News story cited the 35% increase in STEM-related jobs during the past 20 years, which is expected to increase even further during the next decade. The pressing question is whether there will be enough incoming talent to meet the demands of the industry. There are programs  locally in place to help curb  the issue, for example, the Detroit Regional Chamber Foundation and MICHauto recently were awarded a $2 million grant to support the growth and development of high-tech talent in Michigan, spanning automotive, mobility and technology sectors, but some of these measures will take a significant amount of time.

With the substantial investment in the move to EVs, our customers must determine if they should build or expand their internal product development teams, work with trusted partners or both. It’s an interesting position for companies like DSD. The company can be hired to supplement internal programs or be contracted for turnkey development.

DSD routinely supports clients with our trusted engineering team members – having them work on-site with the customer team. This can be extremely beneficial when projects come in and there just isn’t time to find the perfect candidate for the job. And since there are more opportunities than there are engineers suited for positions, finding the right hire and having them commit can take time – something that manufacturers don’t always have.

Of course, a key concern with outsourcing projects through contractors can be that once the project is over, the knowledge behind that project goes with it. In an effort to collaborate at the deepest level and facilitate the creation of rapid and effective teams, our clients take the IP with them upon a project’s completion.

DSD’s advantage lies in the fact that we understand what our customers need and fully realize that what they need today, may change drastically in 12 months. Further, the company has the flexibility, capability, and expertise to work in multiple segments and on multiple projects across multiple regions at the same time. This allows us to pivot easily and ramp teams up or down to align with client needs.

We understand the difficulties of deciding whether or not to staff up or collaborate with companies like DSD to supplement an existing workforce, and we are prepared to help our customers navigate that decision, helping them minimize the risk and maximize the ROI.

• Drive System Design, with engineering centers in the UK and USA, provides premium engineering services to automotive, commercial vehicle, off-highway, defense and aviation industries
• Acquisition enables Hinduja Tech to expand its eMobility services from development to production
• Drive System Design to continue as an independent entity within Hinduja Tech and Hinduja Group

CHENNAI, India – December 6^th, 2022 – Hinduja Tech (HT), a world-class engineering services company, acquired Drive System Design (DSD), an award-winning and globally trusted engineering consultancy known for developing innovative solutions for electrified propulsion systems. DSD currently provides advanced engineering to automotive, commercial vehicle, off-highway, defense and aviation industries from locations in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Asia.

The acquisition enables Hinduja Tech to provide end-to-end electrified propulsion systems design and development capabilities, enhancing its full-vehicle design and development position.

“The acquisition of Drive System Design is an important milestone in Hinduja Tech’s growth journey in the eMobility Industry. DSD has been focused on futuristic powertrain technology (ePT) since its inception over 15 years ago and has a state-of-the-art infrastructure in the UK and United States,” said Kumar Prabhas, CEO, Hinduja Tech. “Both of these markets have high-end engineering talent and are leading the charge in the transition to electric mobility. As this demand increases, the combination of HT and DSD strengths will enable offering the best-in-class eMobility solutions for global markets.”

HT has been rapidly expanding its position in the outsourced engineering services industry with 70+ clients globally and is aiming to accelerate its growth to meet the surging demand for electric mobility. With the acquisition of DSD, HT will add cutting-edge design and testing labs, along with advanced engineering capabilities, in the UK and United States.

“We believe that HT is the right partner at the right time and see this as a tremendous opportunity for the long-term future and expanded capabilities of DSD,” said Mark Findlay, CEO of Drive System Design. “As part of the HT family, DSD will be able to increase its reach through HT’s global business model and full vehicle development and integration expertise. It is an ideal complement to DSD’s advanced engineering capabilities in transmission, driveline, motor design, power electronics and simulation.”

About Hinduja Tech

Hinduja Tech, part of the multi-billion dollar Global Business Conglomerate, Hinduja Group, is the integrated Product Engineering and Digital Technologies Solutions provider for the mobility industry with a proven global delivery model. As a partner of choice, Hinduja Tech works with leading automotive organizations (OEMs & Tier-X Suppliers) and disruptive mobility players in the USA, India, Mexico, Canada, Europe, China, and Japan. Hinduja Group has its presence in over 38 countries and employs a total of 200,000 people. Hinduja Group has a significant presence in Commercial Vehicle Engineering & Manufacturing verticals.

HT Global Office Locations: US, India, Mexico, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, China, and Romania

Drive System Design (DSD), a company specializing in the rapid engineering and development of electrified propulsion systems and Alvier Mechatronics, an engineering service company with special competence in advanced materials and production methods for sustainable, high-volume applications, are joining forces to provide the mobility industry with engineering services to support sustainable electrified propulsion solutions across automotive, commercial vehicle, off-highway, marine and aerospace applications.

The two companies signed a joint operating agreement to combine DSD’s expertise in full electrified propulsion system design encompassing simulation, prototyping and validation, with Alvier Mechatronics’ industry-leading capabilities in powder metallurgy and electromagnetic design. This collaboration will unlock significant improvements in the development of electrified systems, and bring innovative turnkey solutions to the industry, including:

• Speed-to-market increase by combining metallurgical and electromagnetic phases of development and reduced prototype lead-time.
• Sustainability improvements in the use of CO2, resulting in an overall reduction during the development process, to complement both companies’ ability to reduce CO2 production during system operation.
• Expertise from the combined experience and resources of Höganäs AB, DSD and Alvier Mechatronics.

“This collaboration will capitalize on the combined skills and capabilities of each company to serve our new and existing customers in exciting ways,” said Daniel Hervén, CEO, Alvier Mechatronics.

“Working with Alvier Mechatronics is a great opportunity for DSD to diversify its contribution to the advancement of sustainable electrified propulsion across an array of critical industries,” said Mark Findlay, managing director, DSD. “It is a company with trusted capability in the industry, and we look forward to pushing the boundaries of sustainable electrification.”

About Alvier Mechatronics:

Alvier Mechatronics is part of the Höganäs Group, market leader in metal powder. As a start-up company founded in 2018 with the ambition to develop knowledge driven eDrive solutions Alvier Mechatronics offers companies a fast track to build high-performance and integrated eDrive solutions through advanced engineering services. From concept ideation through design, simulation, validation and prototyping to building a-samples, we use a systematic approach to obtain lower weight and a reduced number of parts while increasing overall efficiency.

For more information, visit alviermechatronics.com.

Drive System Design (DSD), a company specializing in the rapid engineering and development of electrified propulsion systems and associated technologies, has developed a new method and strategic plan to better support clients in designing and developing electric motors and inverters that best fit their needs.

DSD has observed that many motor and inverter manufacturers, as well as system integrators, often take their electrification development programs directly to a dynamometer (dyno) test cell, only to uncover critical issues that need to be overcome, which can stop the programs in its tracks. With this seemingly direct approach, months are added to the project timelines in order to find and fix unforeseen integration issues.

To help save its customers months of time and tens of thousands of dollars, while ensuring a more robust, reliable concept before ever touching a dyno test cell, DSD has created a new Motor Control Development Method consisting of four key phases that it will now implement for most electric motor and inverter development projects.

“There is immense benefit in minimizing project risk by following our four-phase approach. Too often, a push to be first-to-market ends up incurring more cost and time,” said Jon Brentnall, president, Drive System Design. “Ultimately, this approach will enable our customers to be first-time capable, meaning they will be set up for a successful pairing of the inverter and motor once the product reaches the dyno test cell. This will speed up final validation and significantly reduce the risk of needing extra hardware iterations, saving our customers both time and money while delivering a more high-quality product.”

Below is a look at DSD’s four-phase approach, with many companies currently skipping from Phase 1 to Phase 4:

• Phase 1 – Concept evaluation and design with advanced co-simulation. During this phase, control algorithms, finite element analysis (FEA) motor models and the power electronics model are designed and developed. A closed loop advanced co-simulation of the entire system will then be performed. By driving the system model with more representative control signals rather than simpler idealized inputs, early-stage identification of electromagnetic challenges along with accurate early-stage data for larger system analysis activities like noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), can be achieved.
• Phase 2 – Detailed design and validation with Control Hardware-in-the-Loop (C-HIL). DSD will utilize inverter control board hardware with deployed software and a real-time simulation of the motor model. The C-HIL hardware emulates motor behavior and sensor feedback such that a large proportion of the software and low voltage hardware validation can be performed. This phase allows for development and validation of safety monitoring and fault handling without risking hardware failures. Software development time is reduced for subsequent phases through bug fixing at this stage.
• Phase 3 – Component level testing with Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (P-HIL). At this stage, a large proportion of the inverter validation will take place by running full power through the inverter with deployed software and utilizing a battery and a high voltage motor emulator. The motor is modeled but real current and power is being pushed through real inverter hardware to validate its power stage and control. When a novel motor design is in the manufacturing stage, DSD can leverage its open platform inverter, to quickly and efficiently develop, calibrate and validate the motor controls for that application in this phase of testing.
• Phase 4 – System level testing and validation on a dyno test cell. The motor will enter the dyno test cell at this stage as a final system validation and characterization utilizing inverter and motor hardware as well as the battery emulator. Going through the previous stages ensures this phase will be as short, cost effective and efficient as possible.

As an initial investment to fulfill its new motor development strategy, DSD has acquired a C-HIL rig, which will be housed at its technical center in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Additionally, DSD will be partnering with the Auburn Hills-based rig supplier to have access to their P-HIL rig and motor emulator, with plans to invest in one of its own next year.

“Real-world issues can now be predicted or reproduced and solved prior to – or in parallel with – dyno or test cell work,” said Brentnall. “This new approach and equipment will further advance DSD’s turnkey capability of delivering motor controls and electrification across a range of markets.”

Through DSD’s method, customers will now be able to better optimize their time, as a large proportion of the inverter software and hardware can be developed and validated through Phase 2 and 3 while the motor hardware is being made. Further, the method is adaptable for various vehicle types, including automotive, trucking, off-highway, defense and aerospace.

With the immense value of taking a more comprehensive approach to motor and inverter design and development like DSD’s, the company predicts that most companies tackling similar projects, including key competitors, will adopt a similar approach in the next five to 10 years.

DSD has been officially presented with its Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade

Drive System Design (DSD) has been officially presented with its 2020 Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in International Trade following delays due to the pandemic. The award recognises the sustained growth of the company, which over the three years prior to the pandemic achieved substantial year-on-year growth with overseas sales rising 155%.

“We are delighted to be presented with such a prestigious award and I am hugely proud of everybody at the company, without them, this would not be possible,” said Mark Findlay, Managing Director of Drive System Design. “The award goes someway to reflect the amazing achievements of our team, who are developing state-of-the-art electric propulsion technologies. They are directly contributing to a greener more sustainable future, right here in Warwickshire.”

Tim Cox, His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, and the Royal Family’s representative for the area said, “Warwickshire is at the heart of the automotive industry in the UK and Drive System Design is an excellent example of top British engineering in the area. The Queen’s Awards are the highest honours for a UK business and bring with them a great level of credibility and prestige. Drive System Design is thoroughly deserving of this accolade.”

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, the most prestigious business award in the UK, was established in 1965. The International Trade category recognises outstanding growth in overseas earnings and rewards companies for demonstrating steep year-on-year growth internationally. The Awards celebrate the success of exciting and innovative businesses that are leading the way with pioneering products or services.

DSD is at the leading edge of British engineering, developing next-generation electrified powertrains for the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers and global Tier 1 suppliers. The company employs 80 people at its headquarters in Leamington Spa, which has grown by more than 10% in the last 12 months alone. Internationally it has 120 employees, with a technical centre in North America and locations in Asia and Australia.

Drive System Design (DSD), a company specializing in the rapid engineering and development of electrified propulsion systems and associated technologies, has added several new members to its team following significant electrification business growth.

Among the six new team members at its Farmington Hills, Michigan, facility are individuals who have strong backgrounds at Tier One suppliers and original-equipment manufacturers. Specialties range from motor controls to transmission systems, e-axles and more.

“There has been a tremendous amount of growth, both in personnel and diversification of business, taking place at Drive System Design and we’re excited to add these exceptionally talented engineering experts to our team,” said Jon Brentnall, President at Drive System Design. “Collectively, their impressive backgrounds will help us further broaden and enhance our electrified propulsion expertise as we continue to tackle a range of electrification initiatives spanning automotive, defense, aerospace, commercial vehicle and marine sectors.”

With the addition of the new team members, DSD now has 35 employees at its Farmington Hills facility, with expectations of adding another half a dozen team members by the end of 2022.

Information about each of the new team members can be found below.

AK Arafat, Principal Controls Engineer

As Principal Controls Engineer, AK Arafat will be responsible for executing motor control projects and helping shape DSD’s development of motor design, analysis and test processes through continual R&D investment. Most recently a Technical Specialist in power electronics at Cummins, where he worked for three years, AK Arafat brings a breadth of experience in high power electric power conversion, motor controls, inverter software creation and optimization, and electric machines to DSD. He has invented 17 technologies and published 29 research papers on motors, controls and diagnostics throughout his career. Additionally, he has led cross-functional and global teams in a variety of initiatives, including investigating existing motor drive functionalities and failure modes. He has also tested, calibrated and validated multiple electric drive units for heavy-duty EV commercial applications.

Arafat earned a master’s degree in electric engineering from the University of Akron, Ohio, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.

Taechung “TC” Kim, Chief Technical Specialist

Joining DSD as a Chief Technical Specialist, Taechung “TC” Kim, will be responsible for leading full-scale electric drive unit design and analysis projects, while mentoring the team around him. With a strong engineering background, Kim is able to draw from extensive experience with e-axles and simulation for NVH and transmissions. Prior to joining DSD, Kim worked as a Lead Transmission Engineer at Wrightspeed Powertrain Inc. He also previously worked as a Senior Principal Engineer of model-based design for Toyota Motor North America in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Senior Manager and Senior Research Engineer of powertrain CAE for Hyundai and Kia Motors in Korea. During his career he was the Design Lead for an EV commercial vehicle e-axle with range extender options project, in which he developed a high ratio four-speed co-axial transmission for durability, NVH and controls for a Class 7 and 8 vehicles.

Kim earned a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Ohio State University, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the State University of New York.

Andrew Jamieson, Principal Engineer

Andrew Jamieson has been hired on as a Principal Engineer. He brings more than 15 years of experience as a Design Engineer, Senior Design Engineer and most recently Technical Specialist at MAHLE Powertrain. Jamieson has had a vast amount of experience with engines and mechanical systems from automotive to marine to defense applications throughout his career. He has designed and developed a novel crank train arrangement for a powerboat engine and led a team designing the housing assembly for a military cross-drive transmission, among other projects.

He earned a master’s degree in automotive product engineering from Cranfield University in the U.K. and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Napier University in the U.K.

Mario Escareno, Senior Control Engineer

As a Senior Control Engineer, Mario Escareno will work on an array of control software development, demonstrator vehicle calibration and system simulation projects at DSD. Most recently, Escareno served as an Electrified Controls Systems engineer for Ford Motor Company, where he worked for nearly a decade. During the course of his career, Escareno has developed control systems for electric and hybrid vehicle high level functions, managed controls integration and program management for more than 24 programs, and worked on various functional safety and failure protection assignments.

Escareno earned a professional certification in architecture and systems engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as a master’s degree in business administration from TecMilenio University and a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the National Polytechnique Institute in Mexico City.

David Loki, Transmission Engineer

David Loki is joining DSD as a Transmission Engineer, following a Product Engineering role for eAxle Pursuit at Linamar. Previously Loki has worked to design and develop a differential disconnect mechanism for use in AWD electric vehicle applications and as an analyst and build coordinator for a dual motor, hybrid multi-speed transmission in a commercial vehicle application.

Loki earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from University of California, Davis.

Matt Emmerson, Transmission Engineer

Coming to DSD with a substantial background in testing and development, Matt Emmerson will now take on the role of Transmission Engineer. Most recently he worked as an 8-speed Transmission Development Engineer for GM. Emmerson brings a breadth of experience in design and analysis engineering as well as testing. Additionally, he has created and coded many universal advanced data post-processing development tools as well as several automatic transmission tests and tools that supported advanced transmission functionality and controls.

Emmerson earned a master’s degree in industrial & systems engineering from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Drive System Design (DSD), a company specializing in the rapid engineering and development of electrified propulsion systems and associated technologies, has created an open platform inverter from scratch that enables quick and efficient development of motor control systems from initial concept to first prototype.

This inverter solution features reliable and specializing hardware, paired with a flexible, modular plug-and-play software and is being used by DSD to service a range of industries including automotive, commercial vehicle, aerospace, marine and defense.

As a critical component in the application of electrified propulsion to any sector with a need to convert a direct current (DC) source to alternating current (AC), engineers are faced with an array of options when designing an inverter to drive and control an electric machine. By using the DSD open platform inverter, customers gain access to every aspect of the inverter, including the hardware, drivers and software. Additionally, DSD’s engineers teach them how to start developing their own code and configure a motor control solution quickly and easily, significantly reducing project risk.

Customers that utilize DSD’s open platform inverter can realize up to three times the cost and time savings in comparison to starting to build an inverter from scratch.

“One of our core focuses at Drive System Design is to swiftly provide innovative and optimized solutions that leverage our unique systems expertise and enable our customers to walk away with the IP in hand – ultimately providing a turnkey support package,” said AK Arafat, Principal Controls Engineer at Drive System Design. “Initially we set out to create an internal research tool, but soon realized how far ahead our customers could be by taking advantage of our flexible open platform inverter that can accommodate a whole range of motor technologies that off-the-shelf solutions cannot.”

In creating the rapid prototyping unit, DSD incorporated significant additional inputs and outputs (IO) to facilitate development, diagnostics and monitoring. Open access to this IO means that customers can do more than just drive the typical three-phase motor topology, with the additional analog and digital IO providing far more signal monitoring and performance measurement than an off-the-shelf equivalent. The open platform inverter is configured to drive a three-phase machine in standard configuration, but DSD can readily modify the power stage to drive six-phase machines, or even an extra actuator for a park-lock or similar system, by leveraging the flexibility of the control platform.

The modular design approach also has eliminated the need for modifications to the control board and central processing unit, allowing the open platform inverter to be configured for IGBT or SiC applications. Further flexibility is afforded by the AURIX™ TriCore™ microcontroller, allowing safety functions to be implemented within a single device. Ultimately, the open platform inverter enables a rapid and customized

solution that overcomes roadblocks that customers typically would encounter when trying to meet the specific needs of their motor and associated system.

Though the original development of the open platform inverter came out of DSD’s work in automotive, it has been adopted for an eVTOL project known as InCEPTion (Integrated Flight Control, Energy Storage and Propulsion Technologies for Electric Aviation), which is led by Blue Bear Systems Research and encompasses a consortium of organizations, including DSD. The goal of the project is to develop a modular and highly integrated electric propulsion unit, and DSD is leveraging a SiC version of the inverter for this application.

“Our inverter technology and expertise has been tested and proven in the automotive space and we are now adapting it for electrified aerospace applications like eVTOL, as well as the defense and marine markets, where we think the speed to market will be a key asset,” said Lee Rogers, Senior Engineer at Drive System Design. “Onboard power generation and other power electronics are becoming even more paramount in the age of electrification and our team of expert engineers is prepared to support customers in each of our core markets in identifying the best solutions to fit their needs.”

Beyond a strong inverter offering, DSD has an in-house team of power electronics and software engineers who complement the company’s expertise in motor and transmission design, simulation and testing. Plans for a dedicated motor test rig in 2022 will further advance DSD’s turnkey capability to deliver motor controls and electrification across a range of markets. The company has also recognized a demand for on-board power distribution in the defense and aerospace sectors, fueling plans to expand its DC-DC converter capabilities in the future.

Our unique in-house AePOP (Aerospace Electrified Powertrain Optimisation Process) simulation tool is used to assess thousands of design iterations quickly

The objective of the AePOP project, which is funded by the Driving the Electric Revolution challenge at UK Research and Innovation, has been to develop a toolchain that brings critical performance development into the very earliest stages of electrified propulsion system design in aerospace.

AePOP evaluates the trade-offs between vehicle range, mass and cost by simulating thousands of detailed propulsion system candidates to enable significant design optimisation at the architecture selection stage of a project. The toolchain can be applied to single vehicles or to determine the most cost-effective family of propulsion systems for a range of vehicle types.

As a result, it reduces development timescales and accelerates the certification process.

The initial study has been aimed at small eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) vehicles with a payload of 150-400kg. However, the optimisation process can also be applied to autonomous drones and regional and sub-regional aircraft.

“The eVTOL industry is a fast-growing sector globally, and there is an opportunity for the UK to become a leading centre of expertise,” said John Morton, Drive System Design Engineering Director. “The demand for non-contact deliveries is growing, including the delivery of medical supplies catalysed by the COVID-19 crisis, and eVTOLs could be a significant part of the future solution. In addition, they offer the opportunity to reduce traffic on our roads, improve our air quality and potentially reduce delivery costs.”

The project has adapted and utilised our in-house electrified powertrain optimisation process (ePOP), a bespoke simulation tool proven and rigorously tested on automotive applications, which is now being used for aerospace propulsion systems.

The initial study investigates its potential to create a highly optimised, modular, scalable propulsion system to suit most fan-driven eVTOL vehicles.

The AePOP tool can simulate the performance of vehicles over a range of mission profiles and use cases to determine their energy usage. It requires the definition of key vehicle parameters, such as mass and aerodynamic characteristics. Then, each vehicle type is modelled with multiple (up to 10s of thousands) detailed propulsion system candidates, and their performance is evaluated in a single simulation process.

The key enabler to this process is the detailed characterisation of subsystems and components, which allows the process to model complete propulsion system variants for simulation. This data is generated by a mixture of bespoke design, automated design and selection from an extensive library of propulsion system elements.

It incorporates e-motor topology and technology, multiple inverter technologies, simple propellers and ducted fans, and transmissions where required.

AePOP rapidly generates the necessary input data (mass, efficiency map, cost model etc.) for each electrified propulsion subsystem. This enables the simulation of a large number of combinations, compared through intelligent cost functions. It also has the ability to use third-party component input data, enabling an off-the-shelf certified component to be combined with bespoke optimised components.

“In our experience, the industry is hesitant to use transmissions for aerospace systems due to the perceived additional weight and servicing challenges,” said Morton. “During the course of the project, the benefits of transmissions in electrified systems became clear in detail. When designed using a whole system approach, the use of transmission can significantly reduce weight and cost. Therefore, the challenge becomes one of implementing these designs in such a way as to meet all the appropriate durability and service requirements.”

As the global automotive industry continues to attract attention for its widespread shift to electric vehicles, the aerospace industry is not far behind.

The dream of “flying cars” has been around since Glenn Curtiss conceptualized the Curtiss Autoplane in 1917. Today, however, the desire to increase mobility and widely expand the use of drone technology for commercial purposes has pushed the flying car concept into a new era. Even Cadillac, a company with a rich history of combustion-engine performance and luxury, recently announced its own vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) at the virtual CES 2021.

“Aviation mobility is a rapidly developing sector, from the desire and intent for unmanned drones as delivery devices to the push toward VTOL mobility services,” said Matt Hole, vice president, Engineering, DSD. “This level of innovation is exciting and speaks directly to the core of our expertise and drive we have as engineers.”

Recently, Drive System Design was tapped to support a UK-based government program for both manned and unmanned flight vehicles.

The project, known as InCEPTion (Integrated Flight Control, Energy Storage and Propulsion Technologies for Electric Aviation), is led by Blue Bear Systems Research and will be delivered by a consortium of organizations with highly specialized skills and infrastructure for design, analysis and testing. Together, the participating companies will develop a modular and highly integrated electric propulsion unit (complete with electric motor and power electronics), for manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) aircrafts for up to 30 passengers.

“Development of a stand-alone electric propulsion unit for the aerospace industry is a fascinating project that poses many novel challenges, and our motor and inverter will play a critical role in meeting the efficiency and mass requirements,” explains John Morton, Drive System Design Engineering Director. “The level of integration in the unit and the modular construction means we will need to work very closely with our partners to ensure the project is successful.”

Drive System Design sees this as just the beginning of an entirely new phase of motor and electronics engineering.

“This initial aerospace program will certainly set the foundation of the technology required to bring these products to market, ultimately scaling to other regions and industries,” said Hole. “It’s an opportunity that highlights the unique electrified propulsion system capabilities and expertise of DSD.”