Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have achieved a significant milestone in the development of large electric planes. They have successfully created a one-megawatt motor, which is a crucial step towards making electric planes in the future. The motor has undergone component testing, and calculations have shown that it can generate one megawatt of output power, as stated in a press release.
Reducing carbon emissions to “net zero” by 2050 is a global focus, and the aviation industry plays a vital role in achieving this target. Current large aircraft that transport passengers and cargo contribute significantly to carbon emissions. However, existing solutions for electric aviation are limited in size and cannot replace large jet engines.
Typically, attempts at creating fully electric planes are on a smaller scale, and the motors used can only generate a few hundred kilowatts of power. To address this limitation, MIT engineers aimed to develop a one-megawatt electric motor capable of meeting the power demands of larger aircraft.
