Regional Jets May Soon Be Electric Thanks to MIT Breakthrough

Researchers at MIT have unveiled a compact lightweight design for a megawatt-scale electric motor that could facilitate the electrification of larger aircraft. The aviation industry’s weight restrictions have made it challenging to match the power-to-weight ratios of jet engines with electric motors. The MIT team’s design features a rotor with interior permanent magnets and a stator with densely coiled copper wires, enabling the generation of a strong magnetic field to drive the motor.