UASystems eZELOS 300 POC

eZELOS 300 POC
UASystems SA
Swiss Aéropôle, Payerne, Switzerland
www.uasystems.com

Founded in 1995, UASystems is a Switzerland based company manufacturing unmanned multicopter drones, mission controllers, ultralight engines, mechanical subsystems, piloted, optionally piloted rotorcraft and more. They are currently working on their own hybrid-electric electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft powertrains for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and which can also be used in other aircraft.

The company has also made a redundant electric engine (to make electricity) which supplies power to two electric motors without any gears and are located on one shaft. In the unlikely event of a failure of one of the electric motors, the other motor will still work and the aircraft can still land safely.

A future engine the company is developing a hybrid-electric free piston linear generator named the Beetron generator which can use natural gas, biogas, heating oil, gasoline, ethanol, hydrogen and solar synthesis gas to create electricity to power all electric motors and the aircraft's electrical systems. The engine is estimated to last for 20,000 hours. Their engine uses or has less parts, friction, weight, maintenance, fuel consumption, emissions and operational costs than traditional engines. The engine is used in conjunction with battery packs.

The eZELOS 300 proof-of-concept (POC) is an uncrewed remote controlled all electric or hybrid-electric helicopter with a maximum speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) and has a range 750 km (466 miles). Using an all electric power source, eZELOS 300 POC has a flight time of 30 minutes. Using a hybrid-electric power source, the helicopter has a flight time of up to four hours. The aircraft has an empty weight of 250 kg (551 lb) and has a maximum payload 50 kg (110 lb).

The helicopter uses coaxial rotorblades with a pusher propeller. The tail boom has a horizontal stabilizer at the end of the tail boom and there is a wingtip fence on the end of each horizontal stabilizer. The aircraft also has tricycle wheeled landing gear. The front landing gear might be retractable and the rear two wheels are fixed landing gear. The rear landing gear has a wing-shaped structure providing additional lift during forward flight.

In case of a power loss, the helicopter can land using autorotation. The company also has redundancy built into the helicopter providing an additional margin of safety which will be used for the future production aircraft.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Hybrid-electric or all-electric proof of concept helicopter
• Piloting: Remote
• Maximum speed: 250 km/h (155 mph)
• Range: 750 km (466 miles)
• Flight Time: 30 minutes full electrical, up to 4 hours hybrid-electric
• Maximum payload: 50 kg (110 lb)
• Empty weight: 250 kg (551 lb)
• Rotorblades: 2 coaxial rotorblades (3 blades per rotorblade)
• Pusher propeller: 1 pusher propeller
• Electric Motors: Possibly 3 electric motors, all 3 used during flight. 2 for the coaxial rotorblades and 1 for the pusher propeller. (If one of the electric motors for the rotorblades fail, the other electric motor is built in for redundancy and will help the helicopter land safely.)
• Power source: Hybrid-electric
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Windows: Standard helicopter windows
• Tail boom type: Has rear horizontal stabilizer, on each end of stabilizer has a wingtip fence
• Landing gear: Tricycle wheeled landing gear, the rear wheel aerostructure provides lift during forward flight
• Safety features: In case of a power loss, the helicopter can land using autorotation. The company also has redundancy built into the aircraft providing an additional margin of safety.

Company Insights:

• Swiss Aerospace Cluster

Resources:

• UASystems SA website
• Hans-Christian Stuber LinkedIn