7 November 2019:Bye Aerospace and OXIS Energy have started a 12-month collaborative programme that seeks to attain a 50 per cent to 100 per cent increase in flight time from a single charge on future Bye Aerospace eAircraft.
OXIS has come up with an innovative Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) battery technology that will significantly benefit aviation markets. When compared to the current Li-ion battery systems technology, the high gravimetric energy density of the OXIS technology - in excess of 500 Wh/kg at 20Ah capacity - offers a two-fold reduction in battery system weight which results in a significant increase in flight duration.
In the beginning, the programme will test OXIS cells and modules against the performance characteristics of existing and soon-to-be-announced Bye Aerospace aircraft. This will produce data that will demonstrate the advantages of the OXIS Li-S technology to the aerospace sector and more specifically, to Bye Aerospace's future aviation applications.
"We believe this collaboration will offer Bye Aerospace the confidence that OXIS Li-S systems will deliver the battery technology that meets the demanding performance and quality required to increase the efficiencies of their future electric aircraft. OXIS is focusing its research and development on the transformation of piston and turbo prop aircraft that is required for regional flight transportation. We believe this to be the first phase in the electrification of commercial aircraft and will ultimately form the basis for the electrification of Air Taxis, with the additional requirement for regional aircraft," said OXIS CEO, Huw Hampson-Jones. "The United States has an impressive tradition of aviators who understand the need to experiment and embark on the deployment of new innovative technology, thus effecting a seismic paradigm shift in the powering of aircraft from using lead based fossil fuels to Li-S battery systems that are free of any toxic pollutants. As a consequence of the significant extension of aircraft flight duration, both companies believe this will allow for the widespread adoption of electric aircraft across the skies of the United States."