D500 electric motor

The Evolito D500 is a liquid-cooled electric motor from Evolito for hybrid-electric aircraft, built for propulsion and power generation. It is an aerospace electric motor and generator with a 275 kW peak power rating, and it is aimed at hybrid powertrains for rotorcraft and other aircraft that need high-voltage electric machines with a low mass.

The main figures are a peak power of 275 kW, a maximum speed of 9,000 RPM and a weight of 30 kg. The housing measures 375 mm in diameter and 128 mm in length. For an integrator, the 275 kW at 30 kg gives a high power density for the airframe,. The maker states that the performance of the D500 is optimised for the speeds of rotorcraft engines, so the motor can be coupled to such an engine without a large speed change.

Cooling is by liquid. The maker explains the choice by the need for a controlled thermal environment in sustained high-power operation of compact machines, without the performance and aerodynamic penalties of air-cooled designs. The cooling circuit therefore has to be part of the aircraft's thermal system design.

The motor is designed to work with engines, gearboxes and electrical systems inside a system-level hybrid architecture. It is compatible with Evolito's motor control units, which form an integrated power-generation system together with the motor. It can run as a continuous generator in a hybrid system, including the duties of an auxiliary power unit. Power levels above a single motor's rating can be reached by stacking several D500 motors within a shared, scalable architecture.

Typical applications are series and parallel hybrid-electric powertrains for helicopters, eVTOL aircraft and large unmanned aircraft, where a combustion engine drives the D500 as a generator, or where the D500 adds electric propulsion power to a rotor drive. Buyers should treat it as a component for the integration of a complete propulsion system with motor controllers, a high-voltage supply and a liquid cooling loop.