Safran Electrical & Power has signed a collaboration agreement with Cuberg, a subsidiary of the battery manufacturer Northvolt, for industrial, technical and commercial cooperation to jointly develop an aviation energy storage system for future full-electric and hybrid aircraft.
Safran Electrical & Power and Cuberg will combine their complementary technologies and expertise to create a high-performance propulsive energy storage system for future generations of aircraft. Cuberg, a vertically integrated battery provider, will manufacture and supply rechargeable aviation battery systems based on Cuberg’s lithium metal cells, modules, and packs while Safran Electrical & Power will design and develop global energy storage systems, including high voltage protection components, integration, certification and in-service support.
The battery systems are built on the configurable Cuberg module, which has been internally validated to achieve a specific energy of 280 Wh/kg and an energy density of 320 Wh/L. This specific energy is up to 40% higher than comparable modules based on lithium-ion technology. This significant improvement provides increased flight range which, in turn, enables new use cases for electric and hybrid aviation. Cuberg modules are purpose-built to manage the mechanical, thermal, and electrical integration of next-generation battery cells.
The Cuberg module incorporates Cuberg’s 20 Ampere-hour lithium metal cell technology. This technology uses a lithium metal anode and proprietary liquid electrolyte to simultaneously solve the interlocking challenges of high-performance cell design and manufacturability.
