Wright Launches
Ultra-Lightweight Battery Development Program
We are thrilled to announce that today we are launching Wright Batteries, an initiative to develop ultra-lightweight batteries for several hard-to-decarbonize transportation sectors including aviation, shipping, trucking, and rail. Please see an article about the program in today's FlightGlobal. Wright’s objective is to deliver megawatt-hour size batteries that deliver 1,000 watt hours per kilogram (wh/kg) at the pack level. These proprietary batteries would be 4x more energy dense than the lithium ion batteries that power today’s electric vehicles.
Such batteries would enable the electrification of hard-to-decarbonize vehicles including electric aircraft capable of transporting more than 100 passengers on regional routes. Given that the vast majority of aerospace carbon emissions are in aircraft with 100 or more passengers, these batteries would enable a paradigm shift in decarbonization.
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Depiction of Wright Battery
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Founded in 2016, Wright’s goal is to decarbonize the aerospace industry. We work with leading groups such as easyJet, NASA, Y Combinator, The US Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, and the US Department of Defense.
We have built power dense electric motors, inverters, and generators for aerospace and defense applications. For example, we recently tested our industry-leading electric motor to 1 megawatt and are planning for altitude testing at the NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT).
Building on this work, we are now applying our expertise in lightweight mechanical and electrical systems to battery development. Since 2021, Wright has been conducting experiments with battery technologies that have been overlooked by conventional battery manufacturers. Some battery types are unsuitable for consumer electronics or grid storage. However, they could be ideal for applications that require extreme light weight, safety, and compactness.
“We have developed experience building lightweight thermally managed electric propulsion systems, and we see a way to apply that knowledge to the design of large molten battery packs,” says Colin Tschida, Head of Powertrain at Wright.
“To cultivate a breakthrough in energy storage, we engaged four chemistry PhDs to act as scouts for promising but overlooked battery chemistries,” said Tschida. “This month, we are beginning our second phase of validation experiments with the approaches that showed the most promise.”
We are working with multiple academic centers and industry partners to achieve these batteries. Initial packs will be released for laboratory testing in 2025 with first rollout to aerospace and defense early adopters targeted for 2027.
If you are interested in collaborating, please reply directly or email eric.vonallmen@weflywright.com.
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Wright's goal is to reduce the climate impact of the aerospace industry.
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Electric planes have the potential to reduce the carbon and noise footprint of the aerospace industry. Image source: https://stay-grounded.org/get-information/.
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Wright is supported by DOE, NASA, and DOD.
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Wright is looking for Battery and
Power Electronics experts to join the team!
Wright is hiring Battery and Power Electronics engineers at our headquarters in Albany, NY. If you are interested or know someone who might be, please feel free to reply to this email. You can visit our careers page for more information: https://www.weflywright.com/careers.
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Thank you and we'll share more news in the coming weeks.
Electrically,
Jeff and Team Wright
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