2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

As a result of climate change, there is a trend towards replacing petroleum-based engines with electric-based propulsion. Fully electric and hybrid electric vehicles are now frequently seen on the road. Electric propulsion is developing in the aerospace sector as well. Electric propulsion is new in the aviation industry and this recency means there is limited information for aviation programs in engineering and engineering technology programs. There is electricity currently on aircraft, but with the switch to electric propulsion the designers, technicians, and operators will be exposed to new procedures and hardware related to higher voltage and amperage.

One of the primary sources of higher voltage is the battery. Generally, traditional aircraft use lead-acid or nickel-cadmium (Ni-cd) batteries with 10-25 volts and 10-50 Ah values, whereas battery-driven aircraft will use lithium-ion (Li-ion) or lithium-polymer (LiPo) batteries with 200V to 600V or more. The ampere-hour (Ah) rating of these batteries can vary from a few tens to several hundred Ah. The values can vary from one aircraft to another depending on the aircraft's requirements.

This new battery technology in aviation applications has limited publicly-available documentation. This study will use what information is available and existing documentation from other industries, such as ground vehicles and industry standards, to build the foundation for future curriculum. The results will be evaluated against ABET-accredited engineering and engineering technology programs to provide alignment with ABET student outcomes.