 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Albany, NY, U.S. |
Key people | Jeff Engler (CEO) |
| Products | Electric aircraft |
| Website | weflywright |
Wright Electric is an American startup company developing an electric airliner.
| | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Albany, NY, U.S. |
Key people | Jeff Engler (CEO) |
| Products | Electric aircraft |
| Website | weflywright |
Wright Electric is an American startup company developing an electric airliner.
The aircraft is to run on batteries and handle flights of under 300 miles. [1] It will feature high aspect-ratio wings for energy efficient flight, distributed electric propulsion and swappable battery packs with advanced cell chemistry. [2]
The 10-person Los Angeles based startup was founded in 2016 and has received venture capital from groups such as Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator. [3] The company is named after the Wright brothers. [4]
In September 2017, UK budget carrier EasyJet announced it was developing an electric 180-seater for 2027 with Wright Electric. [5] Wright Electric built a two-seat proof-of-concept with 272 kg (600 lb) of batteries, and believes that batteries can be scaled up with substantially lighter new battery chemistries: a 291 nautical mile (540 km) range would suffice for 20% of Easyjet passengers. [6] Wright Electric plans to develop a 10-seater and eventually an at least 120 passengers single-aisle, short-haul airliner and targets 50% lower noise and 10% lower costs. [7]
To evaluate electric propulsion systems, two test stands were constructed: one with two 250 kW UQM motors and two Hartzell Propellers, built with Yates Electrospace, the other on a 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) trailer to be brought to high altitude test sites.[ citation needed ]
In May 2018, Jetex, a Dubai fixed-base operator with 30 bases, invested in the company. [8] [9]
By November 2018, Wright was testing a commercially available electric motor, before combining it with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop to be installed on an existing nine-seater for 2019 flight tests, which may be marketed subsequently. Wright is working with Madrid-based Axter Aerospace, already flying its two-seat AX-40S based on a Tecnam P92 with a Rotax piston engine and an electric motor driving the propeller, with four times less power. After a 50-seat model, Darold Cummings, designer of the ESAero ECO-80 turboelectric configuration for NASA, evolved this previous design for the Wright 186-seat airliner with 500 km (270 nm) of range for Easyjet, which could use a more powerful Wright-patented motor. [10]
By November 2019, test flights of the nine-seater were to begin in the coming weeks, while EasyJet partnered with Airbus to study a short-haul airliner concurrently. [11]
In January 2020, Wright Electric revealed that it was constructing a 1.5 MW electric motor and 3 kV inverters intended to power a 186-seat Wright 1 aircraft with a range of at least 300 nmi (560 km) that could enter into service from 2030. Ground testing of the motor is planned for 2021 and flight testing for 2023. [12]
Wright Electric has been granted the Sustainability Award 2020 by World Finance as the world's most sustainable organisation in the aircraft manufacturing industry. [13] [ importance? ]
In September 2021, Wright Electric started testing a 2 MW (2,700 hp) electric motor for its 800 nmi (1,500 km) range, 186-passenger Wright 1 airliner to enter service in 2030, partnering with EasyJet and Viva Aerobus. [14] In November 2021, the company announced an all-electric version of the BAe 146 regional jet for a 2024 first flight and a 2026 introduction, replacing its four turbofans with electric motors for an hour of endurance, with power coming from aluminum or hydrogen fuel cells. [14]
The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most built wide body airliner. The jetliner was designed to bridge the gap between Boeing's other wide body airplanes, the twin-engined 767 and quad-engined 747, and to replace aging DC-10s and L-1011 trijets. Developed in consultation with eight major airlines, the 777 program was launched in October 1990, with an order from United Airlines. The prototype was rolled out in April 1994, and first flew in June. The 777 entered service with the launch operator United Airlines in June 1995. Longer range variants were launched in 2000, and were first delivered in 2004.
The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the family was followed by the longer A321, the shorter A319, and the even shorter A318 . Final assembly takes place in Toulouse in France; Hamburg in Germany; Tianjin in China since 2009; and Mobile, Alabama in the United States since April 2016.
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The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American wide-body jet airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After dropping its unconventional Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the conventional 7E7 on January 29, 2003, which focused largely on efficiency. The program was launched on April 26, 2004, with an order for 50 aircraft from All Nippon Airways (ANA), targeting a 2008 introduction. On July 8, 2007, a prototype 787 was rolled out without major operating systems, and then the aircraft experienced multiple delays until its maiden flight on December 15, 2009. Type certification was received in August 2011 and the first 787-8 was delivered in September 2011 before entering commercial service on October 26, 2011, with ANA.
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A narrow-body aircraft or single-aisle aircraft is an airliner arranged along a single aisle, permitting up to 6-abreast seating in a cabin less than 4 metres (13 ft) in width. In contrast, a wide-body aircraft is a larger airliner usually configured with multiple aisles and a fuselage diameter of more than 5 metres (16 ft), allowing at least seven-abreast seating and often more travel classes.
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