Wright Electric receives $3.34 million grant from FAA for ultra-lightweight aircraft batteries

Wright Electric, a US developer of ultra-lightweight motors, generators and batteries for the aerospace and military sectors, along with its partners, which include NASA, DOE and DOD, has been awarded a $3.34-million grant from the FAA’s Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) program.

The funding will be used to develop a new class of batteries for large electric aircraft accommodating 100+ passengers—the segment of the aerospace industry that accounts for more than 90% of its carbon emissions. The R&D program’s objective is to make such aircraft a possibility by developing lithium-sulfur batteries that hold roughly three times more energy per pound than lithium-ion batteries.

“When Wright Electric was founded in 2016 the idea of a battery that would allow aircraft to fly regional routes with reserves seemed like a fantasy to most people. Now, we are one of several companies with a viable path toward a technology that will enable regional aircraft flights entirely on battery power,” said Wright CEO Jeff Engler. 

Source: North American Clean Energy