Evolito Enters Collaboration to Develop Electric Taxi Motors

Evolito is collaborating with Airbus on a UK government-funded program to develop an on-aircraft electric wheel taxi system designed to reduce operating costs and environmental impact.

The initiative, supported by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) and Innovate UK, focuses on Project SONATA: System Optimisation of Non-propulsive energy in Aircraft Taxi technologies and Architectures. This system allows aircraft to taxi independently while main engines remain switched off, targeting a 47% reduction in taxi emissions alongside significant decreases in noise and improvements to local air quality.

Evolito was selected to provide low-speed, high-torque electric motors based on its proprietary axial flux technology. These motors are expected to deliver approximately 56Nm/kg and provide 350kW at peak power. The design is specifically engineered to meet integration requirements for future landing gear applications, offering best-in-class specific power and torque.

Chris Harris, CEO of Evolito, commented, “Evolito is thrilled to collaborate on project SONATA. By developing low speed, high torque motors for aircraft landing systems, we are extending the performance envelope of our technology and contributing to the reduction of aviation’s environmental impact whilst also reducing operating costs. This collaboration underscores our commitment to innovation and sustainability in the aerospace sector.”

This partnership follows the successful completion of project UToPEA, a previous ATI Programme project that focused on advancing Evolito’s electric propulsion systems. The new collaboration aims to further enhance engineering capabilities and drive innovation within the broader aviation market.

Chris McDonald, Industry Minister, added, “This cutting-edge project from Evolito could make an essential contribution to our journey towards Jet Zero, and this government is proud to back it through the Aerospace Technology Institute. We’re going further to back our world-class aerospace industry through our Modern Industrial Strategy, delivering good jobs whilst keeping the UK at the forefront of innovation.”

Project SONATA brings together a consortium of leading organizations including the University of Southampton, Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult, Magnomatics, Drive System Design, and DePe Gear.