Wikipedia

MagniX

magniX is an electric motor manufacturer for electric aircraft, wholly owned by Singapore investor Clermont Group.[1] The company is headquartered in Everett, Washington, United States.

magniX
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryAerospace manufacturer
Founded2009 in Queensland
HeadquartersEverett, Washington, U.S.
ProductsElectric motors
OwnerClermont Group
Websitewww.magnix.aero

History

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The company was founded in 2009 in Australia to research various technologies for electric motors. In 2017, it developed a motor that became their prototype and led to pivoting the company to focus on Electric Aviation and move its headquarters to Redmond, Washington.[citation needed] The magni5, its original prototype electric motor, was developed in 2017.[citation needed]

In June 2018, magniX publicly stated plans to fly an electric Cessna 208 Caravan with a 540 kW (720 hp) motor for up to an hour, by August 2019.[2] By then, the company's magni5 electric motor could produce 265–300 kW (355–402 hp) peak at 2,500 rpm at 95% efficiency with a 53 kg (117 lb) dry mass motor, having a 5 kW/kg (2.3 kW/lb) power density. The magni5 competes with the 260 kW (350 hp), 50 kg (110 lb) Siemens SP260D for the Extra 330LE.[2]

By September 2018, a 260 kW (350 hp) electric motor with a propeller had been tested on a Cessna iron bird. The 560 kW (750 hp) Caravan was expected to fly by the fall of 2019 and by 2022 magniX estimates electric aircraft could fly up to 800 and 1,610 km (500 and 1,000 mi) by 2024.[3] The motor ran on a test dynamometer for 1,000 hours. The iron bird is a Caravan forward fuselage used as a test bed, with the usual PT6 turboprop engine replaced by an electric motor, inverter and a liquid-cooling system, including radiators, driving a Cessna 206 propeller. The production motor will produce 280 kW (380 hp) at 1,900 rpm, down from the test motor's 2,500 rpm, allowing the installation of the propeller without a reduction gearbox.[4]

By April 2019, the magni250 280 kW (375 hp) was offered for the Eviation Alice as a second power option after Siemens 260 kW motors, as magniX had accumulated over 1,500 hours of ground tests in Redmond and Australia.[1]

In July 2022, magniX announced the development of the magniX EPUs (Electric Propulsion Units),[5] which are aimed at powering larger commercial aircraft with over 1 MW of power, signaling a significant advancement in electric aviation technology.

Beaver conversion

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By then, magniX partnered with Harbour Air to electrify its entire fleet: the first converted aircraft was to be a DHC-2 Beaver serving as the test prototype for the magniX motor, energy storage, and control systems.[6] On 10 December 2019, the eBeaver flew for the first time.[7] Low energy density but proven lithium-ion batteries filled the cabin and took the prototype to its maximum gross weight to provide enough energy for a 15 min flight with a 25 min reserve.[8]

The magniX magni500 electric motor used in the Harbour Air electric de Havilland Canada Beaver weighs 135 kg (297 lb) and develops 560 kW (750 shp)[9] In contrast, the Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior SB it is replacing has a dry weight of 290 kg (640 lb), not including oil, and produces 400 bhp (300 kW), more than halving the weight, while nearly doubling the power – a saving in this case that can be transferred toward carrying the difference in additional batteries.[original research?]

Caravan conversion

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The first flight of the modified Cessna 208B Grand Caravan was completed at Grant County International Airport on 28 May 2020.[10] The eCaravan is powered by a 560 kW (750 hp) motor and a 1 t (2,200 lb), 750V lithium-ion battery. Its 30 min first flight consumed $6 worth of electricity, needing 30-40 min of charging. The magni500-powered variant can fly 160 km (100 mi) with 4-5 passengers while keeping reserve power, and aims for a certification by the end of 2021, hoping to operate 160-kilometre (100 mi) flights with a full load of nine passengers with better batteries.[11]

In December 2020, CEO Roei Ganzarski told an interviewer[12] that the company was consolidating its operations at Everett, Washington, and had shut their Australian site on the Gold Coast earlier in the year. In January 2021 the company formally announced that they will be moving their headquarters from Redmond to Everett, with plans to relocate all of their Australia operations there as well.[13]

Products

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  • magni350EPU: 350–280 kW (470–380 hp) Take-Off/continuous, 111.5 kg (246 lb), needs 2× magniDrive100[14]
  • magni650EPU: 640–560 kW (860–750 hp) Take-Off/continuous, 200 kg (440 lb), needs 4× magniDrive100[14]
  • magniDrive100: 170 kW (230 hp) power electronics used to run the magni350 and magni650, 12 kg (26 lb).[14]
  • PDX800: Power distribution unit [15]
  • Samson300: Energy storage systems [16]

Customers and partners

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Company EPU Airplane(s) Notes
Harbour Air[17] magni650 de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver on going test flights (C-FJOS & C-FIFQ)
Tier 1 Engineering[18] magni350 Robinson R44 To be operated by Lung Biotechnology PBC
Eviation Aircraft[19] magni650 Eviation Alice First flight: September 27, 2022
Universal Hydrogen[20] magni650 Dash 8 First flight: March 2, 2023
NASA magni650 Dash 7 EPFD (Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration)
Blade Urban[21] TBA Cessna 208 Caravan
Flapper[22] magni650 Cessna 208 Caravan
Desaer & CEiiA[23] magni350 Desaer ATL-100H

See also

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Related lists

References

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  1. ^ a b Jon Hemmerdinger (22 Apr 2019). "MagniX to supply Eviation Alice motors as all-electric advances". Flightglobal.
  2. ^ a b Michael Bruno (Jun 7, 2018). "MagniX Promises Electrically Powered Cessna Caravan By Summer 2019". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  3. ^ Alexa Rexroth (27 September 2018). "magniX Reaches Milestone on Path to Electric Propulsion". AIN online.
  4. ^ Graham Warwick (Sep 28, 2018). "MagniX Advances Electric Propulsion System Tests". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  5. ^ "What is Electric propulsion?". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  6. ^ Rytis Beresnevicius (3 April 2019). "Harbour Air set to become the first all-electric airline in the world". AeroTime Hub.
  7. ^ "Seaplane makes 'first' commercial electric flight". BBC. 2019-12-11.
  8. ^ Graham Warwick (13 December 2019). "Harbour Air And MagniX Claim First For Electric Aircraft". Aviation Week Network.
  9. ^ Richardson, Jake (24 October 2019). "750 Horsepower Electric Aviation Engine Tested By MagniX". cleantechnica.
  10. ^ Gates, Dominic (28 May 2020). "Redmond startup powers all-electric first flight of a Cessna commuter plane". The Seattle Times.
  11. ^ Jon Hemmerdinger (29 May 2020). "All-electric Grand Caravan makes maiden flight". Flightglobal.
  12. ^ Balinski, Brent (2020-12-15). "The one that quietly got away?". Australian Manufacturing Forum. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  13. ^ O'Connor, Kate (21 January 2021). "magniX Moves To Everett". AVweb. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  14. ^ a b c "Industry-Leading Products". MagniX.
  15. ^ https://www.magnix.aero/powertrains
  16. ^ https://www.magnix.aero/powertrains
  17. ^ "Harbour Air flies 'first' all-electric commercial aircraft, a DHC-2 Beaver".
  18. ^ "Tier 1 Engineering Selects magniX to Electrify Helicopters for the Clean Delivery of Organs".
  19. ^ "MagniX to supply Eviation Alice motors as all-electric advances".
  20. ^ https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/pioneering-moses-lake-flight-uses-hydrogen-to-power-regional-airplane/
  21. ^ "MagniX inks deal to retrofit seaplanes with electric motors for Blade flights around NYC and Hamptons". 27 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Flapper faz parceria com magniX para eletrificar a aviação na América Latina".
  23. ^ "Desaer ATL-100H hybrid aircraft mixes electric motors with turboprops". 10 February 2022.
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