MagniX completes EPU testing with NASA

MagniX has completed testing of its magni650 electric propulsion unit (EPU) at NASA’s Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) in Sandusky, Ohio.

According to the company, the EPU successfully performed at an altitude of 30,000ft at a maximum continuous power of 700 kilowatts (kw). The performance of MagniX’s EPU under simulated flight conditions at altitude demonstrates its readiness for the flight test phase of NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project., it added.

“The NEAT test campaign has moved us closer to the world’s first certification of an electric powertrain for aviation,” said Ben Loxton, MagniX vice president of Technical Programs. “The work we are doing with NASA in the EPFD project will enable the electrification of regional commercial aviation in pure electric on short routes, and hybridisation on longer routes – significant steps toward the decarbonisation of aerospace.”

In the next stage of EPFD, one of the four turbine engines on MagniX’s De Havilland Dash 7 test aircraft will be replaced with a magni650 electric powertrain. Initial test flights are planned for 2026.

The final stage of the programme will see a second turbine engine switched out for another MagniX powertrain. This configuration is expected to reduce fuel consumption by up to 40% on a typical flight.