Kite Gets Funding for Electric Motor Based on Improved Magnetic Material
The Australian start-up says its material retains energy 10 times more effectively than current alternatives and will support smaller, lighter, and more efficient electric power sources for aircraft.
Kite Magnetics has boosted its plans for an electric motor with a A$1.85 million ($1.2 million) seed funding round. The Australian start-up says the motor will be smaller, lighter, and more efficient than ones based on current technology and will employ a new magnetic material called Aeroperm developed at Monash University by its co-founders, Richard Parsons and Kiyonori Suzuki.
The company says it will deploy the new funds to design, build, and test the 65-kilowatt motor for initial use with two-seat electric light aircraft, like Pipistrel’s Velis Electro. Flight testing is expected to start in 2023, following ground testing that is set to begin at the facility it is building in the Melbourne area.
