Pratt & Whitney Canada is partnering with De Havilland of Canada in a program to test hybrid-electric propulsion technology in a Dash 8-100 flight demonstrator, the engine company said Thursday. Expected to undergo ground testing next year and fly in 2024, the demonstrator will include an electric motor and controller from fellow Raytheon Technologies unit Collins Aerospace. The governments of Canada and Quebec have committed to contributing roughly half of the total C$163 million investment the program will require.
“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 Pratt & Whitney Canada president Maria Della Posta. “With a long-time commitment to sustainability and as Canada’s top aerospace investor in research and development, having invested C$500M annually, we are driving economic growth, innovation, and workforce expertise to benefit the environment.”
The new hybrid-electric propulsion technology will help optimize performance across the different phases of flight, allowing the demonstrator to target a 30 percent reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions compared with a modern regional turboprop.
As part of Canada’s green recovery plan, the government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund is backing the technology demonstrator, while the government of Quebec supports the project through Investissement Quebec and the Ministère de l’Économie et de l'Innovation.
Combining advanced technologies developed by P&WC and Collins, the project serves as a successor to Project 804, launched in 2019 as a joint development program between the two companies.