Wright Electric announced that the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has selected Wright for a contract to support the development of innovative, lightweight, and ultra-efficient electric propulsion motors, drives, and associated thermal management systems for commercial electric aircraft. The foundation of Wright’s Wright 1 zero-emissions 186-seat aircraft is its high-efficiency electric propulsion system. As part of the ARPA-E program, Wright will design propulsion systems that use cutting-edge innovations in integrated cooling, power electronics, and structural design. This system has the potential to enable power densities beyond 12 kW/kg. Today, aircraft that use jet fuel-burning turbine engines achieve approximately 6-9 kW/kg. Wright’s novel design will use existing manufacturing techniques to create a high-efficiency, high-performance motor without sacrificing safety. This will be delivered by a permanent magnet motor coupled with an aggressive cooling strategy and a high-frequency inverter. In phase one of the ARPA-E program, the team […]