With electric aircraft development in full swing and commercial eVTOLs expected to launch within the next two years, the era of advanced air mobility (AAM) is already underway.
At the 19th Annual Electric Aircraft Symposium in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, hosted by the Vertical Flight Society (VFS), industry experts explored a wide range of topics, from the latest on eVTOLs to advancements in powertrain technology. The event concluded with a forward-looking session focused on one of AAM’s most pressing challenges: battery charging.
Joshua Portlock, CEO of Australian aircraft charging tech company Electro.Aero, shared insights from his journey, including key lessons learned and his vision for the future. His company builds what Portlock calls “really key components of aviation charging” — not just portable chargers, but also onboard charging control electronics and portable battery energy storage solutions “to be buffers when there isn’t enough power at an airfield.”
So far, four companies — including Archer and Ampaire — have publicly acknowledged using Electro.Aero’s charging technology for “quite a while,” Portlock said. He added that dozens more are also customers, though they’ve opted to remain confidential for now.
Reflecting on lessons from his journey, Portlock explained that since founding Electro.Aero in 2014, “we’ve really been working closely with so many airframers, and we’ve learned an immense amount about the industry through the real-world school of hard knocks. And what I really want to share with you is what not to do. Don’t just copy the automotive industry. Aerospace is different.”
According to Portlock, automotive charging has suffered from a range of issues — chief among them, poor global standardization. Attempting to adapt automotive chargers for electric aircraft hasn’t worked well either, he said, leading to major reliability and efficiency problems.
“We did see some people install car chargers at airports and say they were aircraft chargers, but they haven’t been utilized because they’re just not very practical,” he noted.
Portlock said automotive chargers often fall short for aviation needs, citing compatibility issues, limited cable lengths, and a lack of flexibility. Most car chargers have cables around three meters long, he noted, whereas aircraft applications typically require closer to 20 meters to accommodate diverse airframe configurations and enable features like flight scheduling. He added that automotive systems also tend to lack the modularity and upgradeability needed to keep pace with the evolving demands of electric aviation.
Portlock also emphasized the importance of a portable charging system that can be operated by a single person. With most AAM aircraft expected to be flown by a single pilot, he argued it’s far more time- and energy-efficient for the pilot to bring the charger to the aircraft — rather than taxiing and using up valuable onboard power. “Onboard energy is very precious,” he noted.
He also recommended positioning the charging dispenser at the rear of the aircraft, with cables routed to the wings or fuselage. This setup, he said, allows passengers to board and exit safely without the risk of tripping over cables.
When it comes to electric aircraft charging standards, Portlock noted that he and his team have been advocating for the SAE AS6968 standard for the past seven years. Since then, however, several other standards have emerged globally. As a result, Electro.Aero’s chargers are now coupler-agnostic, making them compatible with a wide range of systems and suitable for use in any location.
Looking at the broader challenge of supplying enough electricity to charge electric aircraft, Portlock supports the idea of transforming airports into power plants. “It’s far better to upgrade your airport with solar battery solutions than with bigger grid connections,” he said.
