SBIR-STTR Award

High Efficiency Powertrain for Hybrid Aircraft (HEPHA)
Award last edited on: 4/1/2024

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
NASA
Total Award Amount
$995,813
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
3-HybEl
Principal Investigator
Edward C Lovelace

Company Information

Ampaire Inc

3507 Jack Northrop Avenue
Hawthorne, CA 90250
   (435) 513-0618
   info@ampaire.com
   www.ampaire.com
Location: Single
Congr. District: 42
County: Riverside

Phase I

Contract Number: 2023
Start Date: ----    Completed: 2/1/2023
Phase I year
2023
Phase I Amount
$149,955
Ampaire proposes to develop hybrid electric powertrain technology consisting of a modern JetA/SAF engine plus electric machine in a hybrid electric configuration to enable flexible implementation in a number of aircraft applications. The JetA/SAF engine is a modern, high efficiency compression ignition (CI) engine from subcontractor DeltaHawk (Racine, WI) that will be coupled to Ampaire’s custom electric machine and mechanical integration to provide several key features: enabling multi-mode hybrid electric operation, significant reduction in fuel use, and the potential to integrate the technology onto Ampaire’s flying testbed in Phase 2. Anticipated

Benefits:
NASA

Benefits:
Hybrid electric manned and unmanned aircraft applications including the NASA SUSAN roadmap. Non-NASA

Benefits:
Ampaire’s roadmap of commercial certified hybrid electric aircraft.

Phase II

Contract Number: 80NSSC23PA187
Start Date: 7/11/2023    Completed: 8/30/2023
Phase II year
2023
(last award dollars: 1711981049)
Phase II Amount
$845,858

Ampaire proposes to fabricate, integrate, and test a novel hybrid electric powertrain on Ampaire's electrified propulsion flying testbed. The AMP Drive model AMP-H270 consists of a modern JetA/SAF engine plus electric machine in a hybrid electric configuration to enable flexible implementation in a number of aircraft applications. The JetA/SAF engine is a high efficiency compression ignition (CI) engine from subcontractor DeltaHawk (Racine, WI) that will be coupled to Ampaire’s custom electric boost and regeneration system to provide several key features: enabling multi-mode hybrid electric operation, and significant reduction in fuel use. The AMP Drive hybrid unit will replace a conventional IO-550 avgas engine to power the tail propeller in Ampaire's hybrid Skymaster 337, and retain the all electric nose propeller drive. The aircraft will be converted to be supplied by JetA and SAF and retain Ampaire's high voltage lithium battery. Ground and flight testing will verify the performance and utility of the hybrid powertrain technology for a range of potential future applications with NASA, DoD, and commercially.