Aug. 22—Wright Electric has received a $3 million federal grant to fund its Ultra-High-Energy Battery Project, which is researching and developing batteries for a zero-emission electric passenger aircraft.
The Malta-based company, founded in 2016, was one of 36 to receive funding from the Federal Aviation Administration's Fueling Aviation's Sustainable Transition program, which allocates money through the Inflation Reduction Act.
The FAST grant program bestows $291 million through federal grants that support sustainability-related aviation fuels, technology and infrastructure projects. The program is helping to further the nation' goal of its aviation sector attaining net zero emissions by 2050.
With more than 1billion tons of carbon dioxide being emitted annually from aviation, Wright Electric's goal is to make all regional single-aisle planes, which are the most used airplanes, free of emissions.
"The airline industry is one of the major sources of carbon emissions and innovative projects like this will help America stay on the cutting edge all while helping fight climate change and spurring economic growth in the Capital Region," Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said in prepared statement. "With targeted federal investment and pioneering companies like Wright Electric helping lead the charge, the sky is the limit."
Through collaboration with NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense, the batteries Wright Electric has under development are ultra-lightweight and energy-dense. The hope is to create a new class of batteries able to hold more energy per pound of weight than electric car batteries.
Wright Electric has developed the Wright Spirit, a 100-passenger plane used for zero-emission one-hour flights that would connect popular cities — like San Francisco and Los Angeles, or London and Paris — by 2027. Wright Electric is also developing larger aircraft, as it makes up more than 90% of the carbon emissions in the aerospace industry.
"The idea of a battery that would allow aircraft to fly regional routes with reserves seemed like a fantasy to most people," said Jeff Engler, CEO of Wright Electric. "Now, we are one of several companies with a viable path toward a technology that will enable regional aircraft flights entirely on battery power."
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