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It’s the second day of Amazon’s Prime Big Deals Day event and we’ve got another batch of notable Green Deals, starting with Segway’s Navimow Robot Lawn Mowers that are back at their lowest prices starting from $799. Jackery is taking up to 50% off its power stations for another day – with the flagship Explorer 3000 Pro power station bundled with two 220W solar panels hitting a new $1,999 low – plus, it and others are eligible to receive free on-the-go power stations and more with your purchase. From there, we have LG’s smart all-in-one electric washer/ventless dryer that is $1,000 off, as well as Bluetti’s Prime Day sales that have dropped the AC180 Portable Power Station down to a new $459 low. Finally, we have a bunch of EGO Power+ deals that you can take advantage of while the savings last. You’ll find our Prime Big Deal Days hub taking the spotlight down at the bottom of the page once again, curating everything together as we find them for your one-stop shopping pleasure. We’re updating the hub as fast as we can, so be sure to check back in regularly throughout the day.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Prime Day sale takes up to 32% off Segway’s Navimow robot mowers starting from $799

The Prime Big Deals Day savings continue with Amazon now offering the best rates on Segway’s Navimow Robot Lawn Mowers, with the H series models getting the biggest price cuts and starting from $1,299 shipped. The three models in this series normally go for $1,899, $2,199, and $2,599, respectively since first launching back in March, with discounts often dropping costs by $380 to $600. June saw the first of the largest discounts, followed again by July’s summer Prime Day, and now you can get the best savings once again today that returns the price down to the all-time lowest we have tracked.

Segway’s Navimow H series includes three models that are designed to cover either 0.2-acre yards, 0.37-acre yards, or 0.74-acre yards – with the first carrying a 180-minute battery life while the other two have extended 240-minute run times. They all provide the same cutting height range from 1.2 inches to 2.4 inches, and can even climb/descend up to 24-degree slopes while completing their duties – plus, they all sport an IP66 waterproof rating to handle the aftermath of adverse weather.

The big upgrade here is ditching any need for a perimeter wire in favor of RTK positioning, paired alongside its VisionFence Sensor that enhances its navigation and obstacle avoidance functionalities. You’ll be getting the smart controls over its performance that you would expect, allowing you to overwrite and adjust its settings and schedules – though you can also let it do it’s own thing too, with the robot able to return of its own accord to the charging station when its battery gets too low and picking back up after recharging. This is possible thanks to the guidance of its Global Navigation Satellite Systems that make sure to keep it within the set boundaries and also to track it down if it gets stuck on terrain or even swiped off your property when you’re not looking.

There’s also a more affordable option in the two predecessor Navimow i series models that are starting from $799, discounted from the usual $999 rate. These models are designed for either 1/8-acre yards or 1/4-acre yards and provide much of the same smart functionality, RTK navigation, and obstacle avoidance as the above models. You can get the full rundown on what to expect with these by reading through our announcement coverage from earlier in the year.

Prime Big Deals Day

Jackery’s Prime Big Deals Day sale drops flagship Explorer 3000 Pro bundle to new $1,999 low ($2,000 off)

Running alongside Amazon’s Prime Big Deals Day event, Jackery is having a parallel sale direct from its website that is taking up to 50% off power stations, bundles, accessories – plus, the brand is giving away a limited quantity of free gifts along with your purchase of certain units and bundles. A notable standout is the flagship Explorer 3000 Pro Portable Power Station that comes bundled with two 220W solar panels for $1,999 shipped, gifting a free Explorer 240 v2 power station to the first 100 purchases on top of everything. Normally costing you $3,999, this bundle was last seen dropping to the former 2,279 low back during Labor Day sales, which was already a huge deal, but now that fall Prime Day is officially in swing, the brand has sweetened the pot with an increased 50% markdown. You’re looking at savings of $2,000 and scoring it at the best price we have seen to date anywhere – and that’s not even counting the free power station (valued at $249) if you’re one of the lucky recipients. Matched at Amazon, albeit without the gift.

Jackery’s flagship Explorer 3000 Pro supports you through your fall camping trips (whether you’re roughing it or heading out in an RV) and can also support your home appliances during sudden blackouts, with ten output ports to help: five AC ports (including a TT30 port), two USB-A quick-charge ports, two USB-C ports, and a car port. It provides an impressive 3,024Wh capacity and dishes out up to 3,000W of power to your appliances and devices. Recharging the battery in full can take as little as 2.4 hours with a standard wall outlet, or you can have it fully charged in three to four hours when utilizing its maximum 1,200W solar input (six 200W panels).

If you’re looking for more solar input on this bad boy, there are two additional bundles you can choose from – with both also eligible to receive the free Explorer 240 v2 unit. The first adds a transfer switch to the above bundle for $2,399, letting you connect to your breaker and power specific appliances in case of emergency. The second bundle instead gives you the power station with four 200W solar panels for $2,699.

Best Jackery fall Prime Day on-the-go power station deals:

Best Jackery fall Prime Day on-the-go bundle deals:

Best Jackery fall Prime Day home backup power station deals:

Best Jackery fall Prime Day home backup bundle deals:

  • Explorer 2000 Plus with two 200W solar panels: $1,899 (Reg. $3,299) | matched at Amazon
  • Explorer 2000 Plus kit, 4,085.6Wh with two 200W solar panels: $2,599 (Reg. $4,999) | matched at Amazon
    • eligible for free Explorer 240 v2 and DC extension cable
  • Explorer 2000 Plus kit, 6,128.4Wh with two 200W solar panels: $3,299 (Reg. $6,599)
    • eligible for free Explorer 240 v2 and DC extension cable

Jackery fall Prime Day accessory deals:

Prime Big Deals Day

LG’s smart all-in-one electric washer/ventless dryer falls to $2,000 in Prime Day competitor sale

As Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event continues, over at Best Buy we spotted the LG 5.0 Cubic-foot HE Smart All-in-One Electric Washer/Dryer with Ventless Inverter Heat Pump for $1,999.99 shipped as part of its official 48-hour fall Prime Day competitor sale. This combo appliance would normally cost you $3,000 at full price, with discounts often dropping during major sales events like this one. We saw it drop to its $1,500 low during July 4th sales, while more recently landing higher at $1,900 in August. Today, you can score it at a slightly lesser 33% markdown that still slashes a nice $1,000 off the price tag that you can invest elsewhere in your home upgrades, giving you a chance at the third-lowest price we have tracked. If you’re looking to save some extra cash on this model, you’ll find an open-box option in excellent condition at $1,700.

This combination washer/dryer unit arrives ENERGY STAR certified and sporting a streamlined ventless design alongside AI support that makes laundry day far less of a chore. You’ll get the full wide array of smart controls through its companion app, as well as built-in smart systems to detect fabric types and their soil levels to automatically adjust settings for the best wash options, tossing out the need to memorize which cycle and settings are ideal for particular clothes and fabrics.

It also has a large ezDispense reservoir that can hold and dispense up to 31 loads of detergent, or you can divide it up amongst detergent and fabric softener. One of its obvious standout features is the ventless design that not only lets you install it anywhere that fits your convenience, but its inverter heat pump technology makes it far more energy efficient than most other models, “using up to 60% less energy with every load.” Head below for more.

Notable Best Buy fall Prime Day competitor appliance deals:

Prime Big Deals Day

Take Bluetti’s AC180 portable power station on your next trip at new $459 Prime Day low

Joining the massive lineup of savings in its Prime Big Deal Days event, Amazon is offering another new low price on Bluetti’s AC180 Portable Power Station for $459 shipped. This unit normally sits at a $999 price tag at Amazon and even higher up to $1,249 elsewhere, we’ve mainly seen discounts dropping costs down between $549 and $649 on average. We did spot it drop to $499 back during Labor Day sales at the top of last month, but its getting beaten out here today with an even greater 54% markdown that cuts $540 off its going rate and carves out a new all-time low price.

The AC180 power station tackles device and portable appliance backup power needs with a 1,152Wh LiFePO4 battery capacity that dishes out up to 1,800W of power output – with smart controls to adjust settings through the BLUETTI app on your tablet or smartphone. It boasts 11 output ports: four ACs, four USB-As, one USB-C, one DC, and even a wireless charging pad for your smaller, more personal devices. Recharging times come significantly reduced with this unit too, as you can get to 80% battery in as little as 45 minutes when your plug it into a wall outlet, or in 2.8 to 3.3 hours when connected to a 500W solar input. There are two bundle options during this sale that are discounted as well, with the power station including a 200W solar panel for $779, down from $1,299, or you can bump that up to a 350W solar panel at $949, down from $1,449.

Notable Prime Day Bluetti power station deals:

Notable Prime Day Bluetti bundle deals:

Prime Big Deals Day

EGO Power+ 56V 21-inch cordless self-propelled mower comes with 7.5Ah battery for $530

As part of its Prime Big Deals Day event, Amazon is offering the EGO Power+ 56V 21-inch Cordless Self-Propelled Lawn Mower with a 7.5Ah battery for $529.99 shipped. At full price, you’re looking at a cost of $649 normally, with occasional falls to $549 spaced out over months on average. We did see it fall to a $454 low back in March, with other discounts peppering the spring and early summer until keeping mostly to its MSRP from the top of June. Today we’re finally seeing a price shift once again, as $119 is slashed off the tag to give you the second-lowest Amazon price we have seen – $76 above spring’s low.

Powered by just the 7.5Ah ARC battery, this cordless electric lawn mower is designed to handle small to medium-sized yards for up to 60 minutes after a single charge. The 21-inch cutting deck houses the brushless motor and comes self-propelled at the touch of its trigger bar that sits right at your palms. It can easily maneuver through the bends and twists that you may have around your home, with six different cutting height position levels that range between 1.5 inches and 4 inches. Its even been given a 3-in-1 functionality to either mulch, rear-bag, or side-discharge clippings and debris – plus, it ditches the annoying pull string in favor of a quick and simple push button start.

Other notable EGO Power+ Prime Day deals:

Fall e-bike deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.

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Environment

‘Repowering’ era for America’s aging wind energy industry begins, despite Trump’s effort to kill it

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4 hours ago

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April 27, 2025

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'Repowering' era for America's aging wind energy industry begins, despite Trump's effort to kill it

Jeffrey Sanders / 500px | 500px | Getty Images

On Inauguration Day, President Donald Trump issued an executive order indefinitely halting permits for new onshore wind energy projects on federal land, as well as new leases for offshore wind farms in U.S. coastal waters. The action not only fulfilled Trump’s “no new windmills” campaign pledge, but struck yet another blow to the wind industry, which has been hit hard over the past few years by supply chain snags, price increases upending project economics, public opposition and political backlash against federal tax credits, especially those spurring the fledgling offshore wind sector.

Nonetheless, the nation’s well-established onshore wind industry, built out over several decades, is generating nearly 11% of America’s electricity, making it the largest source of renewable energy and at times last year exceeding coal-fired generation. On April 8, the fossil-fuels-friendly Trump administration took measures to bolster coal mining and power plants, but as the infrastructure driving wind energy ages, efforts to “repower” it are creating new business opportunities for the industry’s key players.

This repowering activity has emerged as a bright spot for the wind industry, giving a much-needed boost to market leaders GE Vernova, Vestas and Siemens Gamesa, a subsidiary of Munich-based Siemens Energy. Following several challenging years of lackluster performance — due in particular to setbacks in both onshore and offshore projects — all three companies reported revenue increases in 2024, and both GE Vernova and Siemens stock have moved higher.

GE Vernova, spun off from General Electric a year ago, led overall onshore wind installations in 2024, with 56% of the U.S. market, followed by Denmark’s Vestas (40%) and Siemens Gamesa (4%).

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GE Vernova stock performance over the past one-year period.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, installed wind power generating capacity grew from 2.4 gigawatts (GW) in 2000 to 150.1 GW as of April 2024. Although the growth rate for launching new greenfield onshore wind farms has slowed over the last 10 years, the U.S. is still poised to surpass 160 GW of wind capacity in 2025, according to a new report from energy research firm Wood Mackenzie.

There currently are about 1,500 onshore wind farms — on which more than 75,600 turbines are spinning — across 45 states, led by Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Illinois and Kansas. Virtually all of the wind farms are located on private land, and many of the largest ones are owned and operated by major energy companies, including NextEra Energy, RWE Clean Energy, Pattern Energy, Clearway Energy, Xcel Energy and Berkshire Hathaway‘s MidAmerican Energy, which generates 59% of it renewable energy from wind, including 3,500 turbines operating across 38 wind projects in Iowa.

A growing number of the turbines are 20-plus years old and nearing the end of their lifecycle. So increasingly, operators have to decide whether to upgrade or replace aging turbines’ key components, such as blades, rotors and electronics, or dismantle them altogether and erect new, technologically advanced and far more efficient models that can increase electricity output by up to 50%.

“What’s becoming clear is that more and more of the U.S. installed base [of onshore turbines] has exceeded its operational design life,” said Charles Coppins, research analyst for global wind at Wood Mackenzie, “and now operators are looking to replace those aging turbines with the latest [ones].”

To date, approximately 70 GW of onshore wind capacity has been fully repowered in the U.S., according to Wood Mackenzie, while an additional 12 GW has been partially repowered. The firm estimates that around 10,000 turbines have been decommissioned and that another 6,000 will be retired in the next 10 years, Coppins said.

Damaged wind turbine that was first hit by a tornado then lightning.

Ryan Baker | Istock | Getty Images

Beyond the fact that aged-out turbines need to be upgraded or replaced, repowering an existing wind farm versus building a new site presents economic benefits to operators and OEMs. To begin with, there’s no need to acquire property. In fact, in certain situations, because today’s turbines are larger and more efficient, fewer turbines are needed. And they’ll generate additional electricity and have longer lifecycles, ultimately delivering higher output at a lower cost.

Even so, “there are some limitations on how much capacity you could increase a project by without having to go through new permitting processes or interconnection queues” to the power grid, said Stephen Maldonado, Wood Mackenzie’s U.S. onshore analyst. As long as the operator is not surpassing the allowed interconnection volume agreed to with the local utility, they can add electricity to the project and still send it to the grid.

Public opposition, Maldonado said, may be another hurdle to get over. Whether it’s a new or repower wind project, residents have expressed concerns about environmental hazards, decreased property values, aesthetics and general anti-renewables sentiment.

RWE, a subsidiary of Germany’s RWE Group, is the third largest renewable energy company in the U.S., owning and operating 41 utility-scale wind farms, according to its CEO Andrew Flanagan, making up 48% of its total installed operating portfolio and generating capacity, which also includes solar and battery storage.

One of RWE’s two repower projects underway (both are in Texas), is its Forest Creek wind farm, originally commissioned in 2006 and featuring 54 Siemens Gamesa turbines. The project will replace them with 45 new GE Vernova turbines that will extend the wind farm’s life by another 30 years once it goes back online later this year. Simultaneously, RWE and GE Vernova are partnering on a new wind farm, immediately adjacent to Forest Creek, adding another 64 turbines to the complex. When complete, RWE will deliver a total of 308 MW of wind energy to the region’s homes and businesses.

Flanagan noted that the combined projects are related to increased electricity demands from the area’s oil and gas production. “It’s great to see our wind generation drive the all-of-the-above energy approach,” he said. What’s more, at its peak, the repower project alone will employ 250 construction workers and over its operating period bring in $30 million in local tax revenue, he added.

In turn, the twin projects will support advanced manufacturing jobs at GE Vernova’s Pensacola, Florida, facility, as well as advancing the OEM’s repower business. In January, the company announced that in 2024 it received orders to repower more than 1 GW of wind turbines in the U.S.

Koiguo | Moment | Getty Images

Siemens Gamesa has executed several large U.S. repowering projects, notably MidAmerican’s expansive Rolling Hills wind farm in Iowa, which went online in 2011. In 2019, the company replaced 193 older turbines with 163 higher-capacity models produced at its manufacturing plants in Iowa and Kansas.

Last year, Siemens Gamesa began repowering RWE’s 17-year-old Champion Wind, a 127-MW wind farm in West Texas. The company is upgrading 41 of its turbines with new blades and nacelles (the housing at the top of the tower containing critical electrical components) and adding six new turbines.

In early April, Clearway announced an agreement with Vestas to repower its Mount Storm Wind farm in Grant County, West Virginia. The project will include removing the site’s 132 existing turbines and replacing them with 78 new models. The repower will result in an 85% increase in Mount Storm’s overall electricity generation while using 40% fewer turbines.

Preparing for ‘megatons’ of turbine recycling and tariffs

Another benefit of repowering is invigorating the nascent industry that’s recycling megatons of components from decommissioned turbines, including blades, steel, copper and aluminum. Most of today’s operational turbines are 85% to 95% recyclable, and OEMs are designing 100% recyclable models.

While the majority of mothballed blades, made from fiberglass and carbon fiber, have historically ended up in landfills, several startups have developed technologies recycle them. Carbon Rivers, for example, contracts with the turbine OEMs and wind farm operators to recover glass fiber, carbon fiber and resin systems from decommissioned blades to produce new composites and resins used for next-generation turbine blades, marine vessels, composite concrete and auto parts.

Veolia North America, a subsidiary of the French company Veolia Group, reconstitutes shredded blades and other composite materials into a fuel it then sells to cement manufacturers as a replacement for coal, sand and clay. Veolia has processed approximately 6,500 wind blades at a facility in Missouri, and expanded its processing capabilities to meet demand, according to David Araujo, Veolia’s general manager of engineered fuels.

Trump’s new-project moratorium isn’t his only impediment to the wind industry. The president’s seesaw of import tariffs, especially the 25% levy on steel and aluminum, is impacting U.S. manufacturers across most sectors.

The onshore wind industry, however, “has done a really good job of reducing geopolitical risks,” said John Hensley, senior vice president for markets and policy analysis at the American Clean Power Association, a trade group representing the clean energy industry. He cited a manufacturing base in the U.S. that includes hundreds of plants producing parts and components for turbines. Although some materials are imported, the investment in domestic manufacturing “provides some risk mitigation to these tariffs,” he said.

Amidst the headwinds, the onshore wind industry is trying to stay focused on the role that repowering can play in meeting the nation’s exponentially growing demand for electricity. “We’re expecting a 35% to 50% increase between now and 2040, which is just incredible,” Hensley said. “It’s like adding a new Louisiana to the grid every year for 15 years.”

GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik recently told CNBC’s Jim Cramer that the growth of the U.S.’s electric load is the largest since the industrial boom that followed the end of the second world war. “You’ve got to go back to 1945 and the end of World War II, that’s the infrastructure buildout that we’re going to have,” he said. 

As OEMs and wind farm developers continue to face rising capital costs for new projects, as well as a Trump administration averse to clean energy industries, “repowering offers a pathway for delivering more electrons to the grid in a way that sidesteps or at least minimizes some of the challenges associated with all these issues,” Hensley said.

Vestas CEO says wind turbine manufacturer is ‘well positioned’ amid tariff concerns

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ABB is bringing its new, 1.2 MW modular truck chargers to ACT Expo

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19 hours ago

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April 26, 2025

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ABB is bringing its new, 1.2 MW modular truck chargers to ACT Expo

Capable of delivering up to 1,200 kW of power to get electric commercial trucks back on the road in minutes, the new ABB MCS1200 Megawatt Charging System is part of an ecosystem of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) that ABB’s bringing to this year’s ACT Expo.

ABB E-mobility is using the annual clean trucking conference to showcase the expansion of its EVSE portfolio with three all-new charger families: the field-upgradable A200/300 All-in-One chargers, the MCS1200 Megawatt Charging System for heavy-duty vehicles shown (above), and the ChargeDock Dispenser for flexible depot charging.

The company said its new product platform was built by applying a computer system-style domain separation to charger design, fundamentally improving subsystem development and creating a clear path forward for site and system expansion. In other words, ABB is selling a system with both future-proofing and enhanced dependability baked in.

“We have built a system by logically separating a charger into four distinct subsystems … each functioning as an independent subsystem,” explains Michael Halbherr, CEO of ABB E-mobility. “Unlike conventional chargers, where a user interface failure can disable the entire system, our architecture ensures charging continues even if the screen or payment system encounters issues. Moreover, we can improve each subsystem at its own pace without having to change the entire system.”

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The parts of ABB’s new EVSE portfolio that have been made public so far have already been recognized for design excellence, with the A400 winning the iF Gold Award and both the A400 and C50 receiving Red Dot Design Awards.

New ABB chargers seem pretty, good

ABB’s good-looking family; via ABB.

ABB says the systemic separation of its EVSE enhances both reliability and quality, while making deployed chargers easier to diagnose and repair, in less time. Each of the chargers’ subsystems can be tested, diagnosed, and replaced independently, allowing for quick on-site repairs and update cycles tailored to the speed of each systems’ innovation. The result is 99% uptime and a more future-proof product.

“The EV charging landscape is evolving beyond point products for specific use cases,” continued Halbherr. “By implementing this modular approach with the majority of our R&D focused on modular platforms rather than one-off products … it reduces supply chain risks, while accelerating development cycles and enabling deeper collaboration with critical suppliers.”

Key markets ABB is chasing

HVC 360 Charge Dock Dispenser depot deployment; via ABB.
  • PUBLIC CHARGING – with the award winning A400 being the optimal fit for high power charging from highway corridors to urban locations, the latest additions to the A-Series All-in-One chargers offer a field-upgradable architecture allowing operators to start with the A200 (200kW) with the option to upgrade to 300kW or 400kW as demand grows. This approach offers scalability and protects customer investment, leading to Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings over 10 years.
  • PUBLIC TRANSIT AND FLEET – the new Charge Dock Dispenser – in combination with the already in market available HVC 360 – simplifies depot charging with a versatile solution that supports pantograph-, roof-, and pedestal charging options with up to 360kW of shared power and 150m/490 ft installation flexibility between cabinet and dispensers. The dispenser maintains up to 500A output.
  • HEAVY TRUCKS – building the matching charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles and fleets represents a critical innovation frontier on our journey to electrify transportation. Following extensive collaboration with industry-leading truck OEMs, the MCS1200 Megawatt Charging System delivers up to 1,200kW of continuous power — 20% more energy transfer than 1MW systems — providing heavy-duty vehicles with purpose-built single-outlet design for the energy they need during mandatory driver breaks. To support other use cases, such as CCS truck charging, a dual CCS and MCS option will also be available.
  • RETAIL – the award winning C50 Compact Charger complements the family as the slimmest charger in its category at just 9.3 inches depth, optimized for convenient charging during typical one-hour retail experiences. With its large touch display, the C50 takes the award-winning A400 experience even further — setting a new standard for consumer experience and very neatly echoing our own take on that “Goldilocks” timing zone for commercial charging.

ABB says that the result of its new approach are chargers that offer 99% plus uptime — a crucial statistic for commercial charging operations and a key factor to ensuring customer satisfaction. The new ABB E-mobility EVSE product family will be on display for the first time at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo (ACT Expo) in Anaheim, California next week, then again at Power2Drive in Munich, Germany, from May 7-9.

Electrek’s Take

BEV trucks and buses at ACT Expo in Long Beach; image by the author.
ACT Expo test drives; by the author.

The ACT Expo is one of – if not the most important sustainable trucking event in North America, featuring all the big names in heavy trucks, construction equipment, material handling, infrastructure – even Tier 1 suppliers. Mostly, though, it’s many fleet buyers’ only chance to test drive these zero emission trucks before writing a big PO (which just makes it even more important).

Electrek will be there again this year, and we’ll be bringing you all the latest news from press events and product reveals as it happens.

SOURCE | IMAGES: ABB E-mobility.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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Environment

Whisper Aero ultralight aircraft scores $500K for “UltraQuiet” electric jet motor tests

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21 hours ago

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April 26, 2025

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Whisper Aero ultralight aircraft scores 0K for

Whisper's "UltraQuiet" propulsion system to power acrobatic glider

Along with Tennessee Tech, Tennessee-based ultralight aircraft company Whisper Aero has secured a $500,000 grant to help advance the company’s innovative electric jet motor concept off the drawing board and onto the testing phase.

Earlier this month, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) announced plans to award $500,000 to Tennessee Tech and Whisper Aero through the Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) initiative.

“We look forward to using these award dollars to place students in internships working directly with Whisper Aero leaders,” said Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham. “By learning from an electric propulsion innovator like Whisper Aero, our students will gain invaluable perspective and can take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it right here in Tennessee.”

The grant will see a Whisper Aero glider fitted with a pair of the company’s eQ250 electric-powered jet “propulsors” for UltraQuiet flight. Tennessee Tech faculty and students will carry out copper-bird ground testing to ensure the safe integration of engines, batteries, and controllers, and kickstart Tennessee Tech’s new Crossville Mobility Incubator.

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Those propulsors, by the way, are super cool.

UnltraQuiet WhisperDrive; via Whisper Aero.

Whisper Aero’s main claim to fame is its innovative UltraQuiet WhisperDrive (above). It’s effectively an electrically spun ducted fan jet engine that uses a large number of stiff composite fan blades inside a lightweight, acoustically treated duct. With so many blades, the Whisper Aero propulsor can push more air than a conventional prop while spinning much more slowly. As such, the “blade passage frequency” moves up to more than 16,000 Hz – outside the range of most human hearing but not, supposedly, high enough to freak out the beagles.

The Whisper Aero ultralight is effectively an Aériane Swift3 glider fitted with a pair of Whisper’s eQ250 propulsors, each capable of up to 80 lbs. of thrust. The Ultralight has a wingspan of over 40 ft with a maximum L/D of 35:1 and can be stressed to a design loading of +6/-4g, making it capable of some pretty impressive acrobatic feats.

The Swift3 glider is designed for a low speed, low power cruising speed of 45–55 knots with “just” 6.5 hp. Power-off glides from a few hundred feet showed a low sink rate, and a climb rate of 1,250 ft/min with full self-launching power (in other words: the Whisper glider doesn’t have to be towed by a launch vehicle, like a conventional ultralight glider).

Quiet cool

Dual WhisperDrive fans deliver ~160 lbf of thrust; via Whisper Aero.

Range under full power is about 109 miles with current battery tech, but it’s expected that range under the latest EPiC 2.0 energy batteries would rise to nearly 170 miles.

Nathan Millecam, CEO of Electric Power System, said, “EPiC 2.0’s leap in energy density and thermal performance has enabled a significant increase in range, a clear validation of our next-gen cell technology. We are impressed by what the Whisper team continues to achieve in advancing electric aviation.”

The press release concludes explaining that flight tests are expected to show that the Whisper Aero glider can be flown, “a few hundred feet away from neighborhoods without any disturbances, while carrying a 220 lbs. payload with full range,” which is all kind of ominous in today’s political climate, but still pretty neat from a purely tech perspective.

The TNGO grant follows a separate grant from NASA awarded last year, though that grant aims to develop the eQ250s – not as a propulsion system, but as a key component in future spacecraft ventilation systems.

Tennessee Tech announces TNGO grant

With support from TNECD’s Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) initiative, Tennessee Tech University and Whisper Aero are partnering to advance next-generation propulsion technology in the aerospace industry. This collaboration will enhance aerospace research and workforce development, ensuring Tennessee remains a leader in cutting-edge mobility solutions.

TNECD

SOURCE | IMAGES: TNECD; via eVTOL Insights, New Atlas.

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