The Importance of a Systems Approach

The importance of a systems approach

March 19, 2021

On March 1st, ePropelled introduced a complete line of both power and propulsion products to meet the needs of the UAV industry. Our focus is on providing the highest performing electrical machines on the market. With starter generators and propulsion motors starting at 500 Watts and going up to 12 kW, we are uniquely poised to address the needs of the commercial, security, and defense UAV markets.  ePropelled develops these product lines around three core principles:  

• We take a system approach to our products. For example, our starter generators are paired with a power management unit from our iPS family. This ensures complete compatibility between the electrical machines and supporting power electronics. Moreover, we also have electronic engine starters (EES), to provide a complete solution whether the application is electrical power or electrical propulsion.  
   
• Given the power ranges for our starter generators and propulsion motors, we recognize the unique needs of UAV vendors and designers for aircraft that would require the amount of power our machines provide. Unlike other vendors, our products are designed, tested, and manufactured in the United States and the United Kingdom.  
   
• The ePropelled team has extensive experience in technology markets. We view technology differently than other vendors. We look at aggregate system performance relative to the needs of our customers. One of the most important aspects, especially for our target markets, is providing status and diagnostic information on how these systems perform. We believe this is critical for the kinds of markets, missions, and applications that our customers serve. Our goal is to build the smartest systems on the market. 

When we say the highest performing products on the market, we approach this in the broadest sense. First, we look at power to weight ratios and efficiency. Second, we want to bring innovation to better meet the needs of our customers. For example, our patented cooling system for propulsion motors allows them to operate at higher altitudes for a longer period of time. Third, we recognize the importance of open standards. This is important to our customers since they are building complex systems that must interoperate successfully. For example, our diagnostics and status utilize the CAN (Controller Area Network) that is widely used in many industrial applications. CAN is an open standard governed by the International Standards Organization (ISO). CAN is ideal for UAVs not only because it is interoperable but also because the wiring is lightweight.   

Another advantage is that our products are commercial off the shelf (COTS). Customers do not need to wait for customization to get a high-quality complete solution. This also means that we can invest more time and energy in developing these products which help us with our goal of delivering the highest performance possible. For customers with more specialized needs, our COTS approach gives us a starting point to deliver a feature-rich product while minimizing costs. 

For more information, please look at our product pages or download some of the datasheets, application notes, or white papers.