The SAVER project addressed the task of power conversion with battery charging.

To overcome the low power quality of passive converters, the SAVER concept consisted of two parts, an AC/DC converter and a Li-ion battery, and allowed key advantages such as smaller passive components, lower weight, higher efficiency and higher power density.

The converter moves from passive to high-frequency active switching with forced cooling. It also implemented zero current zero voltage switching instead of hard switching methods. Moving from passive to active switching also brings with it the ability to integrate other types of control within the embedded processing power, required for the control loop execution. This brought with it the opportunity of embedding battery constraints, such as battery charging and monitoring.

The other important development within SAVER was the Li-ion battery. Improving the power delivery capability of batteries is very important for the development of more electrical aircraft, and only Li-ion can deliver all of the requirements - but not without stringent safety measures. SAVER not only allowed the characterisation of Li-ion batteries for aerospace use, but also advised on all aspects regarding Li-ion usage such as safety, optimization, monitoring, battery management systems, simulation as well as testing (cycling, temperature and impedance analysis).

In addition to the hardware design and prototyping, the work included a detailed technology study, covering topics such as power converters, battery chargers and applicable aerospace standards. These results were used to deliver an architecture down-selection and help define specifications.

SAVER aided European aircraft manufacturers in testing and validating advanced power electronic converters and Li-ion technology for aerospace use; advancing more electrical aircraft and putting them at the forefront of industry.