Archer Aviation has announced the successful completion of battery pack drop testing conducted at a National Institute for Aviation Research lab. The company says this marks a significant milestone in the development of its proprietary electric propulsion system for its Midnight aircraft in what is seen as one of the most difficult tests to pass for an eVTOL aircraft, putting Archer in a strong position to successfully complete this same test in upcoming for-credit testing with the FAA.
“Over the course of this week, Archer’s engineering and certification teams led Midnight’s proprietary battery packs through three 50-foot drop tests simulating extreme impact scenarios. Tested at varying states of charge, 0%, 30%, and 100%, the battery packs withstood the impact without any signs of failure and, remarkably, continued to function properly” according to the press release.
“This test is renowned within the electric aviation industry as one of the most challenging barriers to certification, designed to ensure battery packs can safely endure significant impact. A pivotal factor in the success of these tests is Archer’s choice to utilize cylindrical cells within Archer’s battery proprietary battery pack design.
“Archer’s goal is to transform urban travel, replacing 60–90-minute commutes by car with estimated 10-20 minute electric air taxi flights that are safe, sustainable, low noise, and cost-competitive with ground transportation. Archer’s Midnight is a piloted, four-passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights.”
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(Image: Archer)