March 21, 2023
On February 20, engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas, led by Distinguished Professor Alan Mantooth, successfully tested an electric motor drive in a hybrid electric aircraft, marking a significant advancement that could transform the aeronautics industry and benefit environmental quality.
This innovation, aimed at replacing one of the two gasoline engines in small planes like the Cessna 337—often used as air taxis in island and remote areas—is part of an ambitious project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E CIRCUITS program. These planes, known for their heavy fuel consumption, could see a dramatic shift towards efficiency and reduced environmental impact through the adoption of battery-powered motor drives developed by Mantooth’s team at the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT) at the U of A. Watch the test flight here.