SmartHangars and SAE International Aircraft Charging Standard

Electro.Aero has been supporting the emerging electric aviation industry for nearly a decade, including the development of chargers, electrical management systems, battery management systems and electric propulsion systems to numerous electric aircraft development projects. During that time, it was identified that the industry needed standardization, especially regarding the charging coupler, so the SAE AE-7D committee was founded by Joshua Portlock in 2018 to help standardize electric aircraft charging and energy management. The AS6968 standard for light conductive charging of electric aircraft was the first standard the committee worked on and is now approaching completion through this year. Furthermore, while the charging coupler standard was proving to be of high priority to the industry, there has also been a noticeable trend that typical airport hangars don't have sufficient electrical power to charge the growing power demands of future electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Therefore, SmartHangar technology was developed, whereby the limited grid connectivity is supplemented by solar and stationary battery energy storage systems to help deliver the peak power demands of electric aviation charging, whilst also helping airports and vertiports transition to more self-sufficient sustainable energy.