Toronto, Ontario — In this electric and autonomous vehicle report, CATL has announced that its second-generation sodium-ion batteries will work in minus 40 degrees Celsius; while autonomous vehicle company Rotor Technologies aims to create a self-driving helicopter.
Second-gen starts
Battery maker CATL has announced that the second generation of its sodium-ion batteries are capable of maintaining performance at minus 40 degrees Celsius.
According to recent reports, the battery maker intends to start trial production next year, with volume production planned for 2027.
Sodium-ion batteries traditionally have a lower energy density than lithium-ion batteries. If the second-generation CATL batteries are able to perform well at minus 40 degrees Celsius, this would instead put their functionality above lithium-ion batteries, which traditionally do not perform well under 15 degrees Celsius.
CATL promises that its second-generation sodium-ion batteries will have an energy density above 200 Wh/Kg.
Helicopter hypothesis
Rotor Technologies, founded by Hector Xu, aims to develop autonomous helicopters to help spray cops and fight fires.
According to online reports, Rotor Technologies has built two autonomous ‘Sprayhawks’ and aims to have as many as 20 ready for market next year.
Last Wednesday, the autonomous technology maker conducted a public flight test of its ‘Sprayhawk’ at an agriculture aviation trade show in Texas.
The helicopter, according to the Financial Post, was originally a Robinson R44, but the four seats have been replaced with flight computers and communications systems, allowing it to be operated remotely. The vehicle also has five cameras, laser-sensing technology and a radar altimeter to make terrain reading more accurate.
Currently, the ‘Sprayhawk’ costs approximately one million dollars, with Lukas Koch, chief technology officer at Heinen Brothers Agra Services telling Financial Post that, after purchasing a helicopter in August, the device is a “revolution.”
“The biggest draw,” Koch told the news source, “is taking the pilot out of the aircraft inside of those most dangerous situations. There’s still fields that are surrounded by trees on all borders, or you’ve got big, large power lines or other just dangers, wind turbines, things like that. It can be tough to fly around.”
For more information about the helicopter, click here.
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