Collins Aerospace has completed a preliminary design review of the one-megawatt electric motor and motor controller it's developing for Pratt & Whitney Canada's (P&WC) regional hybrid-electric flight demonstrator. Collins has tested both systems to full current, voltage and speed and plans to send prototypes to P&WC for ground testing later this year. Flight testing of the demonstrator is planned to begin in 2024 and will take place in Montreal.
Collins' motor features industry-leading power density and efficiency. The company is developing the systems at its facility in Solihull, United Kingdom, and testing them at the University of Nottingham's Institute for Aerospace Technology. Collins plans to conduct future testing of the motor and motor controller at The Grid, the state-of-the-art 25,000-ft² electric power systems lab it's standing up at its facility in Rockford, Illinois. The Grid is expected to be fully operational in 2023.
