Taking off with confidence: magniX accelerates electric aircraft development using HIL simulation
Aerospace
01 / 06 / 2021
The company
MagniX is redefining the future of aviation with cutting-edge electric propulsion systems. As pioneers of electric flight, they powered the world’s first commercial electric aircraft — the eBeaver — and followed up with the eCaravan, the largest all-electric commercial aircraft to date. Their high-performance electric motors and inverters are pushing the boundaries of sustainable air travel.
We decided to use OPAL-RT among other choices of HIL systems because of their widespread research and industry use, fast and accurate emulation of complex power electronics hardware, and great customer support.
Akshat Yadav
Power Electronics Engineer, magniX
The challenges
Transforming traditional aircraft into electric-powered machines isn’t easy — especially under the rigorous demands of the aerospace industry. magniX faced several challenges, including:
- Validating complex controller software under tight timelines.
- Simulating electric propulsion systems (motors and inverters) before hardware was available.
- Replacing traditional gearboxes and heavy turbine engines with compact electric systems.
- Testing systems under strict safety and performance regulations.
To bring their vision of electric flight to life, magniX needed a way to quickly and accurately simulate real-world hardware behavior—without taking to the skies.
The objective was to test the control software designed for the flight in a very short period of time. OPAL-RT systems helped in the rapid modeling and emulation of hardware used for the verification and validation of the software.
Akshat Yadav
Power Electronics Engineer at magniX
The OPAL-RT solution
To speed up R&D and secure safe flight tests, magniX deployed an OP5707 real-time simulator using OPAL-RT’s FPGA-based eHS Power Electronics Toolbox and RT-LAB platform.
Key benefits of their OPAL-RT setup included:
- Real-time emulation of inverter and motor behavior with <400 ns time steps.
- Rapid modeling of R-L load and motor systems for controller validation.
- Integration with physical controller boards via intuitive peripherals and connectors.
- Python-based API for automated testing and reduced human error.
- Scalable HIL testing for magniDrive inverters and magni-Series motors.
The results
- Enabled the first-ever electric flight of a commercial aircraft (eBeaver).
- Validated and integrated magniDrive inverters into the eCaravan, the world’s largest electric commercial plane.
- Reduced controller software bugs early in development.
- Achieved seamless integration thanks to OPAL-RT’s documentation, support, and hardware interfaces.
- Delivered dramatic savings: the eBeaver’s 30-minute flight cost just $8.20 in power vs $135 in jet fuel.
During setup and installation, the OPAL-RT team was very supportive and responsive. The connectors and peripherals provided by OPAL-RT were seamless and easy to integrate with the control module and the measurement units. The documentation, examples and training provided by OPAL-RT helped to set up the system in no time.
Akshat Yadav
Power Electronics Engineer at magniX
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