ACCEL All-Electric Flight Research Initiative Picks Zuken’s Design Software

UK-based Electroflight has recently selected E3.series, Zuken’s electrical and fluid engineering solution. Specialists in high-performance electric powertrains, Electroflight is using E3.series to design, build, test and commercialize an all-electric aircraft—all within a 24-month timeframe—as part of the Accelerating the Electrification of Flight (ACCEL) research initiative.

ACCEL involves a consortium of partners that aims to address the technical challenges associated with all-electric flight, to develop a more robust supply chain and contribute to cleaner, greener flight. 

“With such a compressed timeframe for the ACCEL aerospace initiative, speed is everything. E3.series was selected because of its ease-of-use, flexibility and output capability for all data needed to manufacture wiring harnesses, including bills of materials,” Stjohn Youngman, Electroflight’s program manager, comments.

E3.series is used as a wiring harness tool within the motorsport industry, where it helps meet racing deadlines. Electroflight plans to take advantage of E3.series’ aerospace/motorsport synergies as it will use System 25 mil-spec motorsport connectors and harness construction techniques on the ACCEL aircraft.

“We’re at the start of an extremely ambitious R&D project,” Youngman adds. “To get from concept to commercial offering in just two years is unheard of in the aerospace industry. Our learning curve has to be incredibly fast, another reason for selecting Zuken’s E3.series.”

To keep the weight of the aircraft down, Electroflight will be trying to keep cable runs short—through the smart placement of sources, switches and loads. In this respect, E3.series’ ability to integrate well with MCAD tools was another reason for selection.

Sources: Press materials received from the company.