The U.S. Air Force has awarded VerdeGo Aero a $1.9 million contract to build and test the first production-ready prototype of its VH-3 hybrid-electric powerplant, giving the Florida-based company the boost it needs to begin delivering the generators to its customers.
The VH-3 is a piston generator that offers 185 kilowatts of continuous electrical power output and a 40% reduction in fuel burn compared with turbine engines. It is designed for urban air mobility applications such as eVTOL air taxis, including Jaunt Air Mobility’s Journey eVTOL aircraft and XTI’s six-seat TriFan 600.
“VerdeGo Aero is excited to take the next step in refining the VH-3 hybrid-electric powerplant as we advance towards low-volume production,” said company CEO Eric Bartsch. “This powerplant is a critical enabler of electrified drone and aircraft programs requiring an efficient source of power for missions requiring significant range, payload, and speed capabilities.”
Issued by the USAF’s Afwerx innovation unit and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Mobility Directorate, the tactical funding increase (TACFI) contract is intended to bridge the funding gap between small business innovation research award phases. The TACFI grant builds upon earlier risk-reduction work that VerdeGo Aero completed under an Afwerx Phase 2 award.
VerdeGo has been testing full-scale prototypes of its hybrid-electric powerplants since 2020, and the VH-3 model has been in development for two years. Funding from the TACFI contract will allow VerdeGo to implement refinements to the system, and it will support the transition from the product development stage to commercialization. The company has already devised plans to refine various components of the powertrain, including the motor, heat exchangers, and cooling systems.
“Everyone at VerdeGo is excited to see the final pieces fall into place to launch the ultra-high-efficiency VH-3-185 piston hybrid product,” said Dave Spitzer, VerdeGo’s vice president of product development. “The eVTOL world has been waiting for the incredible efficiency and hybrid power capability of this design, and completion is now clearly in sight.”
Integrated testing that VerdeGo plans to conduct under the award contract will validate the powertrain’s performance, efficiency, and initial durability. The company will perform operational tests and initial durability testing at its research and development facilities in Daytona Beach, Florida.
According to VerdeGo, once it completes the tests of the first production prototype, the company “will have the capability to deliver small volumes of hybrid powerplants to customers requiring power for their ground and flight test programs.”
Earlier this month, VerdeGo announced that it had closed a Series A1 investment round in which the company exceeded its $4 million target. It is using those funds to accelerate the development of the turbine-based VH-4T, a 400-kilowatt hybrid-electric powerplant based on the VH-3 designed to deliver more range, speed, and payload capabilities.