- Engines 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 considered
We could soon see the return of the three-hour flight time between London and New York as Helix Motors, a British engineering firm that supplies potent electric motors for 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-haul cargo delivery companies, orbital launches and, perhaps most excitingly, passenger jet applications.
To get really geeky for a moment, the Helix delivers four high-performance electric motors, each capable of producing more than 1,200 hp. They also weigh only 31.3 kg.
These ultra-light but massively powerful engines are used in a “dual propulsion system” designed to address fuel efficiency issues head-on. The fuel costs and CO2 emissions associated with supersonic flight are currently unrelated.
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 drive the four Helix motors in the propulsion motors that control the fan and compressor”.
Get your head around it. 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 start to Mach 3+. Kind of like how powerful engines are used in modern hypercars to fill gaps in the torque curve or to cruise around town on battery power alone to save fuel.
Out of this world vacations
According to Astro Mechanica, it is currently testing a fourth generation of its Duality engine prototype and is targeting its first flight within three years.
That said, it’s already working with Helix to provide custom engines for its fifth-generation engine that will weigh significantly less than current prototypes and are designed to operate at extreme altitudes — think something sub-orbital.
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. These are some big promises that we hope do not evaporate when they hit the harsh cold air of reality.
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