In January 2024, the Department of Electrical Engineering of the University of Malta, started work on the project SGdrive, funded by Xjenza Malta. The project’s full title is High Reliability and High Power Density Starter/Generator System for MEA (SGdrive) and is headed by Prof Inġ Michael Galea. The project aimed to address technical challenges in designing starter-generator systems for More Electric Aircraft (MEA). Key technical achievements include lightweight design, high-efficiency thermal management, modular high-fault-tolerant systems, and high-reliability operation control strategies. The University of Malta's focus lies in novel lifetime modeling and prediction techniques, contributing to advancements in aviation electrification technologies.

Beyond its technical achievements, the SGdrive project has also delivered an important and perhaps less visible impact: the transfer of knowledge across industries. Although the project focused on electrical machine design for aerospace applications, many of the insights gained have proven highly relevant to other sectors, most notably automotive electrification.

Engineers and researchers involved in SGdrive were able to apply lessons learned from designing high-performance starter-generator systems for aircraft to the development of electrical machines for automotive use. Challenges such as achieving high power density, managing heat effectively, and ensuring long-term reliability under demanding conditions are shared across both fields. By leveraging advanced modelling techniques and reliability-focused design approaches developed at the University of Malta, the team was able to inform and improve the design of an automotive electrical machine, as later presented in a peer-review publication (DOI 10.1109/ICEM60801.2024.10700291).

This cross-sector knowledge transfer highlights how innovation in one field can accelerate progress in another. In particular, it shows how cutting-edge aerospace research can contribute to the advancement of cleaner and more efficient road transport technologies. The SGdrive project therefore not only advances the state of the art in aviation systems, but also supports broader efforts towards electrification and sustainability in the automotive industry.

For more information, please contact the principal investigator Prof Inġ M. Galea on michael.d.galea@um.edu.mt or the Department of Electrical Engineering on ele.eng@um.edu.mt.