- Motors found in a Lotus Evija are being tested in aircraft engines
- A hybrid-electric architecture can mimic a turbofan
- Both military and civilian applications are being considered
We could soon see a return of three-hour flight times between London and New York, as Helix Motors, a UK engineering firm that supplies potent electric motors to Lotus and the fan-powered McMurtry Spéirling hypercar, has teamed up with supersonic air travel specialist Astro Mechanica.
The partnership is working on a new generation of supersonic engines that could be used by the military, long-range cargo delivery firms, orbital launches and, perhaps most excitingly, passenger jet applications.
To get very nerdy for a moment, Helix supplies four high-performance electric motors that can deliver in excess of 1,200bhp each. They also weigh just 31.3kg.
These ultra-lightweight but massively powerful motors are used in a “dual-propulsion” system, which has been designed to meet fuel efficiency issues head-on. The fuel costs and CO2 emissions related to supersonic flight currently don’t add up.
Astro Mechanica says the electric motors are used to “separate the propulsion unit from the turboshaft core”. In turn, the turbogenerator uses a gas turbine to “generate electricity via two motors, which power the four Helix motors in the propulsors that control the fan and compressor”.
Get your head around that one. But at its most basic, the hybrid system can mimic a turbofan at subsonic speeds, a turbojet at lower supersonic speeds and transition to a ramjet at very high supersonic speeds.
The idea is that the hybrid engine system is efficient from takeoff to Mach 3+. A bit like how powerful motors are used in modern hypercars to fill gaps in the torque curve or to cruise around town on battery power alone to conserve fuel.
Out of this world vacations
According to Astro Mechanica, it is currently testing a fourth generation of its Duality engine prototype and targeting its first flight within three years.
That said, it is already working with Helix to deliver custom motors for its fifth generation engine that will weigh considerably less than current prototypes and is engineered to operate at extreme altitudes — think sub-orbital kinda stuff.
As a result, Astro Mechanica claims that within a decade, it plans to make on-demand, supersonic passenger travel as accessible and affordable as commercial air travel is today. Those are some big promises that we hope don’t evaporate when they hit the harsh cold air of reality.
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