Pratt & Whitney Canada has performed the first runup of their hybrid-electric power plant that is destined to propel a de Havilland Dash 8-100 as early as 2024. De Havilland Canada is partners in the project. The test, which occurred on December 20, took place at the P&WC’s Longueuil, Quebec facility.
The engine incorporates a one-megawatt electric motor produced by Collins Aerospace with a so-far unidentified turbine, to produce two MW of power, which is the equivalent of a PW121 turboprop engine. The battery system is provided by H55 of Switzerland.
The hybrid power plant is expected to reduce fuel consumption by 30 percent with a corresponding drop in CO2 emissions.
Both the Government of Canada and the Province of Quebec have funded about half of the project’s $163 million budget.
“Pratt & Whitney Canada is proud to be a leader toward ever more sustainable aircraft propulsion technologies and be an integral part of Canada’s green recovery plan,” said Maria Della Posta, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s president last year, when the project began. “With a long-time commitment to sustainability and as Canada’s top aerospace investor in research and development, having invested $500 million annually, we are driving economic growth, innovation and workforce expertise to benefit the environment.”