Embraer is collaborating with Japanese electric motor manufacturer Nidec to develop propulsion systems for electric aircraft, the companies said on Sunday at the Paris Airshow. The Brazilian aircraft manufacturer and Nidec have agreed to form a joint venture company called Nidec Aerospace to develop a vehicle-agnostic portfolio of products for the aerospace industry, starting with electric motors for eVTOL aircraft.
Nidec has extensive experience manufacturing motors for electric automobiles, appliances, industrial equipment, and power generators, and now the company takes its first big leap into the aerospace industry through its partnership with Embraer.
“We are combining two very strong and powerful engineering [companies] to develop electric motors with high quality, very competitive prices, and scale to fulfill the needs of the entire industry,” Dimas Tomelin, Embraer’s senior v-p of innovation and corporate strategy, said at a media briefing at the airshow.
Eve Air Mobility, an Embraer affiliate company developing a four-passenger eVTOL air taxi, will become Nidec Aerospace's launch customer. During the briefing, Embraer and Nidec representatives revealed a half-scale mockup of the 70-kilowatt engine that will power Eve’s eVTOL aircraft.
Eve also announced two additional suppliers for its eVTOL on Sunday at the show. According to Eve, the UK's BAE Systems will provide the battery system for the electric aircraft, while DUC Hélice Propellers will supply its rotors and propellers. France's DUC Hélice Propellers specializes in the design and manufacturing of carbon-composite aircraft components.
Embraer and BAE Systems have collaborated for the past year on potential defense applications for Eve’s eVTOL, which the company designed to serve the urban air mobility market. BAE Systems also works on energy storage for Heart Aerospace’s planned ES-30 hybrid-electric regional airliner and a hybrid-electric technology demonstrator for NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration project.
“Eve has taken a ‘building blocks’ approach to further enhance the maturity of the technology and its eVTOL,” said Eve v-p of program management and operations Alice Altissimo. “We continue to make very good progress and we are looking forward to working with these new suppliers as we accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable air travel.”