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Vertical Aerospace Announces Opening of New 15000 Sq.ft Facility in Bristol

The VA-X4 rendering. (Photo: Vertical Aerospace)

Vertical Aerospace, a UK aerospace company founded in 2016 by Stephen Fitzpatrick to design and build zero-emission electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs), has announced a significant investment in the UK with the opening of the Vertical Energy Centre (VEC) in Bristol. This new 15,000 ft facility will produce advanced technology electric batteries for the aerospace industry.

Bristol is home to Vertical Aerospace’s current 50-person battery team, which is developing proprietary battery technology to achieve a higher power-to-weight ratio for eVTOL aircraft flight. Vertical Aerospace announced last year its strategic partnership with Molicel, a company that has been producing high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion cells for over 20 years. Vertical Aerospace has already conducted extensive cell testing at the VEC and has commissioned the battery production equipment with the first prototype battery modules developed in-house at the facility.

Vertical Aerospace has already made significant strides in battery testing, conducting crash, thermal runaway, vibration, durability and thermal characterization, propagation and drop tests under the supervision of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the UK Civil Aviation Authority, and setting battery standards for electric aviation with EASA.

The Bristol-based company has developed significant intellectual property in battery design, including cell packaging, cooling and electronic battery management systems, to deliver high-power, high-performance battery packs capable of powering eVTOL aircraft. Vertical aims to enter service with a 220Wh/kg battery system that will enable its VX4 aircraft to fly missions with rapid recharge cycles, minimizing the impact on battery pack life.

Vertical’s VX4 eVTOL is expected to be able to carry a pilot and up to four passengers, travel distances up to 100 miles, and achieve a cruising speed of 150 mph. Vertical’s VX4 prototype has successfully commenced piloted flight testing following the receipt of an airworthiness certificate from the UK Civil Aviation Authority in September 2022. The flight test program will continue in the coming months, reaching higher altitudes and speeds.

Vertical Aerospace has recently secured a £14 million grant from the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) as part of a joint initiative with the UK government to further develop its battery technology. The project, in collaboration with University College London (UCL), will increase the core capacity of the UK company’s battery system, improve recycling efficiency and expand its use in other markets.

Lord Johnson, UK Minister for Investment, said the investment in Vertical Aerospace to develop electric battery technology brings us closer to achieving zero-emission flights, a key objective of the Jet Zero Council. The Jet Zero Council (JZC) is a partnership between industry and the UK government that brings together ministers and company CEOs with the aim of achieving at least 10% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the UK fuel mix by 2030 and zero-emission transatlantic flights within a generation.

Vertical Aerospace is part of an ecosystem of high-level partnerships, including Rolls-Royce, Honeywell Aerospace, Leonardo and GKN Aerospace, working together to facilitate operational execution and the path to certification, enabling a lean cost structure and production at scale.

The Bristol-based company has a portfolio of more than 1,400 aircraft on pre-order from airlines, aircraft lessors, helicopter operators and tour groups, including American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Avolon, Bristow, Marubeni, Iberojet and FLYINGGROUP, as well as Japan Airlines (JAL), Gol, Air Greenland, Gozen Holding and AirAsia.

Vincenzo Claudio Piscopo
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  • Vincenzo Claudio Piscopo

    Vincenzo graduated in 2019 in Mechanical Engineering with an aeronautical curriculum, focusing his thesis on Human Factors in aircraft maintenance. In 2022 he pursued his master's degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Palermo, Italy. He combines his journalistic activities with his work as a Reliability Engineer at Zetalab.

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