Investigating the Electrothermal Behavior of eVTOL Batteries in Urban Air Mobility Applications

Investigating and understanding the electrothermal behavior of high-power lithium-ion batteries under typical urban air mobility profiles is of paramount importance for the safe, efficient, and reliable operation of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. This article surveys the detailed thermal dynamics of the eVTOL battery including heat generation, volume-averaged temperature, highest temperature, and maximum temperature difference within the battery, as well as the common electrical behaviors such as current rate, terminal voltage, and state of charge. This work is based on a simplified electrothermal model and explicitly considers the effects of the operating temperature and payload of the aircraft in the simulation, and then provides useful insights.