Saturday, June 24, 2023

Alpha for the motor

ToughSF brings to our attention, specific power 17 W/g. That's the motors, not the batteries. Aircraft would need both. Also the motor takes up only 57.4 kg so delivers, by my maths, not a full megawatt but "only" 975 kW.

As efficiency goes, a megawatt would leak out 50 kW of heat; that's 48.75 kW with what they got, I calculate. Some of the 57.4 kg mass is being used for the cooling-system. And for the electronics to control it all. All this, and they haven't assembled the final result. I take that the assembly would go to fit whatever shape of craft they need to fly it.

But, when assembled, this motor is certainly better than the 6-8 W/g proposed for commercial hybrids in 2030. It promises to breach that 13 kW/kg specific-power barrier which NASA expects of battery-powered aircraft as aren't framed in balsam and require appreciable cargo. Hey maybe they can put that battery to use as part of the frame . . .

They're talking EVTOL flying-cars.

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