Der vom Startup Neomium entwickelte Motorcontroller (Bild) schließt die Lücke zwischen E-Bike und Elektroauto – für eine Nutzung ohne fossile Brennstoffe.
In order to promote electrification in the interests of climate-friendly and sustainable mobility, the start-up Neomium from Bavaria is developing innovative components for smaller electrically powered vehicles with the help of funding from the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU). The young company is also working on an autonomous paraglider cargo drone. The DBU is providing 125,000 euros in technical and financial support for the project.
Innovative motor controller
In the DBU project, the team from Weßling near Munich is working on a motor controller for electric motors. “This is an electrical device that controls the speed, for example,” explains Tobias Salbaum, Neomium co-founder and Managing Director. The special feature: “We modify hardware and software from model making for higher voltage requirements, specifically for 200 volts.” This development closes the gap between vehicles with a low electrical voltage, such as e-bikes with around 36 volts, and electric cars with 400 to 800 volts. “The controller is suitable for boats, motorcycles and light aircraft, for example – in other words, for smaller vehicles in private and industrial transportation – and can therefore replace the predominant use of fossil fuels,” says Salbaum.
The motor controllers will be available in the start-up’s online store as early as next summer. The team is also working on a battery for electric vehicles: “The battery has no welded seams and the individual cells are easy to replace in the event of a defect,” says Salbaum. The battery can also be used as an energy storage device, for example for electricity from the company’s own solar systems. According to the start-up, series production of the battery is planned by the end of 2024.
Long-term goal: development of an unmanned paraglider cargo drone
Both components – the motor controller and the battery – are also to be used in a paraglider-based cargo drone developed by Neomium, which, according to Salbaum, can carry loads of up to 600 kilograms. The drone is around 85 percent more energy-efficient than a helicopter with a combustion engine thanks to the combination of the electric drive and the paraglider. “It is also cheaper to manufacture and operate than a helicopter,” says Salbaum. “Thanks to the system’s low weight and small packing volume, it can even be transported to the launch site in a car.” The start-up’s aim is to build a fully functional prototype within the two-year DBU project.
