Energy Storage System battery product

The Energy Storage System from H55 is a lithium-ion battery system for electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, built by H55 SA of Switzerland. It stores electrical energy and delivers it to the propulsion and onboard electrical systems, and H55 offers it both as standalone certifiable modules and as a completely integrated system for aerospace OEMs.

The system is configured for several aircraft classes: conventional take-off and landing, short take-off and landing, vertical take-off and landing, and dual-use unmanned aircraft for civilian and defence applications. H55 configures its proven modules to match the capacity, voltage, power and airframe space of each programme, so the same building blocks scale across platforms.

The role of the storage system depends on the propulsion architecture. In a fully electric aircraft it supplies power during the whole mission, including the peak demand of take-off and climb, and must remain compact and light. In a series hybrid it acts as a dynamic power buffer between the generator and the electric motors, with rapid two-way energy flow as demand changes. In a parallel hybrid it supplies additional high-torque electrical power next to the combustion engine, with the electrical architecture and thermal management arranged for short, high-power surges.

Safety is addressed from the cell upward. H55 characterizes commercial lithium-ion cells under aviation-specific electrical, thermal and mechanical conditions, and designs the pack to prevent thermal events at cell level before thermal runaway can begin. Lightweight thermal and structural architectures keep cells at suitable temperatures while withstanding flight loads, vibration and containment requirements. A battery management system turns cell-level data into active protection, monitors the health of the system continuously and connects with the propulsion, electrical and control systems of the aircraft.

The certification approach follows the aerospace standards DO-160 for environmental testing covering temperature extremes, altitude, vibration and electromagnetic interference, DO-178 for airborne software, DO-254 for airborne electronic hardware, DO-311 for battery testing under normal operation and worst-case failure conditions including thermal runaway, and ARP4754B for aircraft-level requirements and safety objectives. Integrators should obtain the electrical ratings, mass and interface definition of a given configuration from H55, since they depend on the programme.