Munich-based manufacturer Vaeridion on Saturday opened its electric battery development lab at the Bosch Collaboration Campus in Holzkirchen, Germany. The site, located in the Munich suburbs, grants Vaeridion access to hardware and services from Bosch General Aviation Technology—the GA arm of the multinational engineering firm—and ITK Engineering, which Bosch acquired in 2016.

Vaeridion will use the campus to develop powertrains, battery models, and cybersecurity compliance for its digital systems, as well as test and integrate its proprietary high-voltage batteries for its flagship Microliner. The facility will run the gamut of battery manufacturing steps, from individual cells to fully integrated modules.

In addition to Vaeridion co-founders Ivor van Dartel and Sebastian Seemann, the opening of the center was attended by Bavarian State Government Minister Florian Herrmann and Holzkirchen Mayor Christoph Shmid.

“Bavaria is proud of its vibrant startup scene, which benefits from the excellent ecosystem of science, research and technology-passionate policies,” said Herrmann. “Sustainable e-mobility is a future topic with a global market—the development of a battery-powered microliner is therefore a brilliant idea.”

According to a 2018 study, more than 80 percent of Germany’s population lives within 20 kilometers of a regional airfield. Vaeridion’s flagship Microliner is designed to connect those sites and provide a new option for underserved regions, saving customers multiple hours per trip, the company claims. It can also take off and land at large commercial airports.

The aircraft’s glider-inspired wing features a high aspect ratio, minimizing drag in cruise and producing a high glide ratio. The batteries, which can be charged in about 45 minutes, are integrated there rather than in the fuselage to optimize the aircraft’s weight and travel distance, Vaeridion says. The manufacturer claims its design flies with the lowest energy consumption for an aircraft seating up to nine passengers plus crew for distances up to 500 km (310 miles).

Working with Aircraft Design Certification GmbH, which owns design organization approval (DOA) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Vaeridion hopes to certify the model as a GA aircraft before 2030.

By that year, the manufacturer intends to introduce the Microliner on commercial routes in Denmark in partnership with Copenhagen AirTaxi and Copenhagen Helicopter, both based out of Roskilde Airport (EKRK) in Copenhagen. The companies believe the design will be part of a digital platform that allows customers to plan, book, and pay for flights in one place.

“The new green aircraft type requires significantly shorter takeoff and landing distances than traditional aircraft, which allows the use of smaller airfields that are no longer utilized for commercial routes,” said Martin Winther Andersen, CEO of Copenhagen Helicopter. “These routes were abandoned as aircraft types gradually became larger. The Microliner can change that, allowing us to create a dense network of domestic routes again.”

In addition, Belgium and Netherlands-based operator ASL Group plans to utilize the aircraft for short-haul business routes. Aero-Dienst, the operation and maintenance provider for European automobile association ADAC’s fleet of ambulance helicopters, intends to deploy it for aircraft maintenance and air ambulance services.

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The company on Friday said it successfully completed a series of drop tests on Midnight’s battery packs, an evaluation it will need to complete again during for-credit testing with the FAA. A key step toward type certification for eVTOL designs, for-credit testing allows the regulator to gauge how well an aircraft conforms to its approved specifications.

Archer said it wrapped up the first phase of uncrewed Midnight flight testing in January and intends to begin piloted evaluations later this year. Following the completion of those tests, it will prepare for the FAA’s final exam.

The manufacturer considers the battery pack drop test significant, claiming it is regarded by the electric aviation industry as “one of the most difficult tests to pass for an eVTOL aircraft.”

Midnight’s six lithium-ion battery packs power a dozen electric engines. The aircraft’s tiltrotor configuration positions six propellers on each side of its fixed wings: During cruise, the front propellers tilt forward to provide thrust, while the back propellers lock in place.

The air taxi can carry a pilot and up to four passengers (or 1,000 pounds of cargo) as far as 100 sm (87 nm) at a cruise speed of 130 knots. It is optimized for back-to-back, 20-to-50 sm (17-to-43 nm) trips, with minimal charge time in between.

The drop test is designed to ensure Midnight’s battery packs could withstand a significant impact, similar to the 50-foot fuel tank drop test for rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft. Like fuel tanks, battery packs are flammable and could leak, catch fire, or even explode in the event of a crash.

The first 50-foot drop test for eVTOL aircraft batteries took place in 2022 at a National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) lab at Wichita State University in Kansas. It was sponsored by the FAA and conducted by NIAR and Beta Technologies, which is producing an eVTOL air taxi as well as a conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) variant. Recently, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) adopted the test as a formal part of its own certification for battery-powered aircraft.

To simulate “extreme impact scenarios,” Archer dropped packs from a height of 50 feet at 100 percent, 30 percent, and 0 percent charge at a NIAR lab. The company said the batteries showed no signs of failure, and they actually functioned properly after each drop.

The company attributed the test’s success to its choice of using cylindrical cells produced by Molicel in its proprietary design. U.K.-based eVTOL manufacturer Vertical Aerospace is also using cylindrical cells from Molicel on its VX4 model.

Archer believes it will be able to replicate the results of the drop test for the FAA when the time comes. In February, the company began production of three type-conforming Midnight models to be used in those for-credit evaluations.

“Successfully passing the battery pack drop tests marks a pivotal moment that paves the way for future ‘for-credit’ certification testing with the FAA,” said Alex Clarabut, battery lead for Archer. “This accomplishment highlights our dedication to not just meeting but exceeding safety standards. It is a critical step towards our goal of ensuring that Midnight will be among the safest aircraft in the skies.”

Archer also has a battery testing collaboration with NASA. The space agency will gauge the batteries’ safety, energy, and power performance using the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), one of the world’s most advanced high speed X-ray facilities. The partners aim to understand how battery cells function in “extreme abuse cases” in order to safely integrate them into advanced air mobility (AAM) services and, potentially, spaceflight.

Archer said the partnership’s focus on batteries will expand to other technologies under a Space Act Agreement calling for the development of “mission critical” eVTOL systems.

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