Bell Helicopter has signed a teaming agreement with Electric Power Systems (EPS) for the development of energy storage systems for its vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft and on-demand mobility (ODM) solutions.

“This collaboration with EPS is intended to further enhance the safety and performance of our aircraft through unique power storage capabilities,” says vice president of innovation Scott Drennan. “As we forge relationships with new teammates we move one step closer to bringing viable urban air mobility to the everyday commuter.”

EPS develops high-performance, low-cost energy storage systems such as batteries, power electronics, thermal management systems and battery management systems for high-reliability applications. These energy storage systems will be designed to provide the energy resource for the hybrid propulsion system.

EPS CEO Nathan Millecam adds: “This relationship aligns with our vision as well as that of Bell to advance electric aircraft for commercial and military aviation applications. Our energy storage system leverages advanced active battery management technology that enables our battery module to improve life, reduce cost and meet stringent FAA safety requirements around cell containment in thermal runaway at a very light weight.”

Bell is responsible for the design, development and production of the Air Taxi while EPS will lead the design, development, testing, production and support of the energy storage systems. Other programme partners include Safran for the hybrid propulsion systems, Garmin for the autonomous vehicle management computer systems and Thales for the flight control system avionics.