Introduction: Korea Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics conducted battery-driven flight tests on Solar UAV EAV-3. The plane is powered by solar cells on the wing and fuselage and LG Chemical lithium-sulfur batteries.
The South Korean Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics conducted a high-altitude flight test of the solar unmanned aerial vehicle EAV-3. The unmanned aerial vehicle used Li–S batteries produced by South Korean manufacturer LG Chemical Company.
Meanwhile, scientists at the University of Monash claim to have developed the world’s most efficient lithium-sulfur battery. They said the new equipment can make the electric car charge more than 1000 kilometers at a time.
South Korea developed a solar-powered drone for high altitude flight, using LG Chemical Li–S battery
Researchers at the University of Monash in Australia have developed a Li–S battery that may perform more than four times as much as current products.
South Korean battery manufacturer LG Chem has integrated SolarEdge single-phase Energy Hub inverter and backup interface in its 400-volt domestic li-ion battery RESU 10H.
LG Chem said: “The energy hub inverter and RESU can reach 28kW power and 60kWh energy storage by matching with the generator. This cutting-edge solution is scalable while maintaining efficiency to support families of any size.”
LG Chem said: “SolarEdge Energy Hub inverter level requires fewer components in system design, which increases aesthetics but reduces the complexity of installation. Energy Hub Inverter also enables homeowners to monitor solar Energy production and Energy storage through a comprehensive application called mySolarEdge.”
The battery company said in a press release that the small plane was designed for stratosphere flight of 12 kilometers or more. The aircraft engine is powered by a 20-meter-long wing and a 9-meter-long solar cell on the fuselage. LG Chemical Company said: “In the daytime, it uses solar cells and batteries as energy sources, and in the evening, it uses batteries charged in the daytime.”
The test flight was conducted from 08:36 A.M. to 09:47 in South Korean airspace with an altitude of about 22 kilometers. LG Chem said: “In 13 flight hours, it flew for 7 hours and output stably at a stratosphere height of 12-22 kilometers, which is where ordinary planes cannot fly.”
The company said that EAV-3 energy storage system must endure harsh atmospheric conditions, including temperatures close to minus 70 degrees Celsius and low pressures of 1/25 atmospheric pressure, which the company said was almost vacuum. The battery supplier said: “LG Chemical company plans to demonstrate a long voyage lasting more than several days in the future by producing additional Li–S battery trial products. In addition, it plans to produce lithium-sulfur batteries with a large-scale energy density more than twice that of current lithium-ion batteries after 2025.”
According to a survey by the micro lithium battery team, Oxis Energy, a British battery manufacturer, also plans to launch a lithium-sulfur battery-driven two-seat aircraft. This all-electric aircraft will have a flight time of more than two hours and a voyage of about 200 nautical miles.