GE to Support Hybrid Engine Development

GE Aerospace announced plans to invest up to $20 million to add a new test cell and equipment at the Electrical Power Integrated Systems Center (EPISCenter) in Dayton, Ohio, to meet increased demand for hybrid electric aircraft engine component testing in coming years. NASA recently selected GE Aerospace to develop an integrated, megawatt (MW)-class hybrid electric propulsion system as part of the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) programme. Plans for EPFD call for ground and flight tests of the hybrid electric system this decade, in collaboration with Boeing, using a modified Saab 340B aircraft and GE’s CT7 engines. NASA also previously awarded GE Aerospace a contract for the Turbofan Engine Power Extraction Demonstration under the Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) project. The EPISCenter facility improvements will support testing for GE Aerospace’s expansive development of next-generation propulsion technologies in which electrification is key.

Currently, GE Aerospace is developing next-generation technologies as part of the CFM RISE* (Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines) program. The RISE programme encompasses a suite of new aviation engine technology development including hybrid electric capability for more than 20 per cent improved fuel efficiency and 20 per cent fewer CO₂ emissions compared to today’s engines. In another programme with Sikorsky called Hybrid-Electric Demonstrator (HEX), GE Aerospace is offering a CT7 turboshaft engine combined with a 1 MW-class generator and associated power electronics. This fully autonomous hybrid-electric vertical-take-off-and-landing prototype will be used as a testbed to evaluate new aircraft design, propulsion systems and control architectures for utility missions for military and commercial applications.