FutureFlight
Wright Reports Progress On Propulsion System For Electric Airliner
The New York-based company has demonstrator an inverter that will convert DC power from batteries to the AC power that will drive electric motors.
Wright Electric
Wright Electric intends for its new propulsion technology to support a new single-aisle airliner. (Image: Wright Electric)

Wright Electric has completed what it says will be a key element in its plans to develop an electric propulsion system that could potentially power a single-aisle airliner to enter commercial service by 2030. The U.S. company reported late last week that it has successfully demonstrated the inverter that will convert DC power from batteries to the AC power that will drive electric motors.

The next phase of development work will now focus on integrating the inverter with a 2 MW motor that the Wright team is developing in-house. The company plans next year to conduct high-altitude chamber testing with the configuration as part of the process of qualifying it for flight testing. The following year it would perform testing in an actual airplane at 40,000 feet. Wright CEO Jeff Engler told FutureFlight that the company is planning for a program launch in 2024.