Jul 9, 2020 2 min read

Ansys was not up in the air on this.

The Southpointe-based firm announced Tuesday that it had forged a sponsorship with Air Race E ahead of that organization’s 2021 Air Race E World Championship, a series of international air racing competitions.

Ansys, a global engineering simulation software company, will help to accelerate the design of all-electric race planes for that series, which over time is intended to lead to more efficient electric aviation.

Electric aircraft fly up to 250 miles per hour on a tight oval racing circuit, but doing so successfully poses engineering challenges. Ansys’ simulation solutions will provide vital insights for Air Race E racing teams.

The goal is to help team engineers improve batteries and battery management systems, so they can deliver more power with less weight penalty. Ansys also will assist in the creation of small electric machines that are efficient; design electric power trains, equipped with power electronics, to overcome thermal and high-voltage issues; and perform safe system-wide integration.

Shane Emswiler, senior vice president at Ansys, said in a statement: “Together, Air Race E and Ansys are accelerating the journey to sustainable aviation, empowering Air Race E teams to cost-effectively develop new aircraft that will shape the future of electric flight.”