Optimal Power Management Research on a Flight Range-Lengthened Multirotor Aircraft

The multirotor configuration unmanned aerial vehicle faces a significant challenge in simultaneously achieving long-range operation and high payload capacity. This paper investigates the power management strategy for a novel fuel–electric hybrid aircraft that incorporates lifting wings to reduce rotor load and a range-extend system to enhance energy supply. An equivalent consumption minimization strategy is developed to optimize, in real time, the power distribution between the internal combustion engine and the battery. The primary innovation of this paper lies in the application and rigorous validation of the equivalent consumption minimization strategy on this new aircraft configuration, which effectively minimizes total energy cost by optimally balancing fuel consumption and battery degradation, resulting in significantly reduced fuel usage and a more stable power output compared to conventional approaches.