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Today’s Green Deals are featuring two big early Christmas sales, the first of which is coming from EcoFlow through most of the month with up to 55% in savings that are continuing and beating out Black Friday rates, like the DELTA 3 Plus Portable Power Station that starts at a $649 low, with many others. Riding up behind it is Rad Power’s early holiday savings with e-bike price cuts, free gear and extra battery promos, accessory discounts – and even the return of the RadCity 5 Plus Step-Through Commuter e-bike at $1,499. We also spotted some new and returning low rates on four Goal Zero Yeti Portable Power Stations starting from $336, while the budget-friendly Worx 40V 20-inch Cordless Electric PowerShare Snow Blower drops back to the $300 2024 low. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals are in the links at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s early holiday sale from Heybike, and more. You’ll also find all the hangover Green Deals from Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales collected together in our dedicated shopping hub for you.

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.

EcoFlow decks the halls with up to 55% savings on power stations, bundles, more from $45 in early Christmas sale

EcoFlow has launched its early Christmas sale that will run through December 16 and is taking up to 55% off its power banks, power stations, solar generator bundles, home backup bundles, and accessories – with some free gifts and bonus savings thrown in too. One notable standout undercutting its Black Friday pricing is the DELTA 3 Plus Portable Power Station which is down at $649 shipped. Normally running you $799 at full price, we’ve seen a few varying discounts since this newer model was released back in September, with October’s Prime Day event taking the price down to the $649 low while the recent Black Friday sale only saw it go to $699. That low price is returning here today, saving you $150 and giving you a second chance at the lowest rate we have tracked. There are even a few bundle options here, with the power station coming with a 220W solar panel for $949, down from $1,448, or two 220W panels and a protective bag at $1,199, down from $2,166, or you can grab it with a 800W alternator charger for $999, down from $1,398.

As is always the case with EcoFlow’s major sales events, there are some bonus savings that make larger-sized purchases much more enticing, as you’ll receive a free RIVER 600 power station with orders over $2,000 or a free RIVER Pro power station with orders over $5,000. There are also some members-only benefits too, with a redemption of EcoCredits scoring 5% in additional savings, as well as getting 2x the EcoCredits with purchases on all sitewide products.

One of the newest models under EcoFlow’s flag, the DELTA 3 Plus power station delivers a modular backup power design on a smaller scale with a base 1,024Wh LiFePO4 capacity that you can invest further into and expand up to 5kWh by using expansion batteries from the DELTA 3, DELTA Pro 3, DELTA 2 Max, or DELTA 2 stations. You’ll be equipped with the means to power most appliances here, as it dishes out constant power up to 1,800W (surging to 3,600W) through its 13 ports thanks to its X-Boost tech, which allows for appliances requiring 2,600W being better supported than with older stations.

The benefits from its X-Boost tech doesn’t stop there either, as it gives the unit five fast-charging ways to refuel its battery. Plugged into a standard wall outlet will return the battery to full in only 56 minutes, which matches the time the brand’s Smart Generator 4000 would take to do the same. Using the alternator charger you can expect a full battery in 1.3 hours of driving, or do things in 70 minutes when utilizing its max 1,000W solar input. It even comes with multi-charge options, taking an hour to refill the battery when pairing its solar charging capabilities with a wall outlet.

EcoFlow early Christmas sale exclusive deals:

EcoFlow early Christmas sale new arrival deals:

EcoFlow early Christmas sale DELTA power station deals:

EcoFlow early Christmas sale DELTA bundle deals:

EcoFlow early Christmas sale RIVER power station deals:

EcoFlow early Christmas sale RIVER bundle deals:

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EcoFlow early Christmas sale

Rad Power brings its RadCity 5 Plus Commuter e-bike back to market at $1,499 in early Christmas sale

Rad Power has launched its early Christmas sale through December 12 that is offering e-bike price cuts, free gear and extra battery promotions, accessory discounts – all to be shipped to you before Christmas day to go under the tree. A surprising return during this event is the RadCity 5 Plus Step-Thru Commuter e-bike in an all-new burgundy colorway for $1,499 shipped. Normally priced at $1,699, we last saw this model amongst the lineup back during the brand’s Labor Day sale when it was on clearance at the $999 low with Rad stating it would be discontinued, which was the case until today. Now it comes back with $200 struck from its price tag and sporting a new paint job at the third-lowest price we have tracked.

My mom got a hold of this model well before it was “discontinued” and every time I’ve visited since, I spend hours cruising around the streets of their town on it – even preferring it for errands over my car. The RadCity 5 Plus cruises back onto the scene with a 750W rear hub motor that is powered by the semi-integrated 672Wh battery, providing you with up to 50+ miles on a single charge with its five levels of pedal assistance (plus a zero-level) at top speeds of 20 MPH. Alongside its performance, your ride is only enhanced with features like the water-resistant wiring harness, integrated taillight with brake light functionality, a standard LED headlight, fenders for both wheels, an integrated rear storage rack, and a backlit LCD display.

Rad Power early Christmas sale e-bike discounts:

  • RadExpand 5 Folding e-bike: $1,599
    • 20 MPH for up to 45+ miles (90+ with extra battery)
    • Add the extra battery to your cart with the e-bike for automatic discount

Rad Power early Christmas sale e-bike accessory deals:

  • RadKick 7-speed Lightweight e-bike (new model): $1,399
    • 20 MPH for up to 35+ miles
    • comes with free accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic accessory discount
  • RadKick Belt-Drive Lightweight e-bike (new model): $1,599
    • 20 MPH for up to 35+ miles
    • comes with free accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic accessory discount
  • RadExpand 5 Plus Folding e-bike (new model): $1,899
    • 20 MPH for up to 65+ miles
    • comes with free accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic accessory discount
  • RadRunner 3 Plus Utility e-bike: $2,199
    • 20 MPH for up to 45+ miles
    • comes with free accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic accessory discount
  • Radster Road Commuter e-bike (new model): $2,199
    • 28 MPH for up to 65+ miles
    • comes with free accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic accessory discount
  • Radster Trail Off-Road e-bike (new model): $2,199
    • 28 MPH for up to 65+ miles
    • comes with free accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic accessory discount
  • RadWagon 5 Cargo e-bike (new model): $2,399
    • 28 MPH for up to 60+ miles
    • comes with free accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic accessory discount

Rad Power early Christmas accessory discounts:

Goal Zero Yeti power stations

Goal Zero offers new and returning lows with up to $584 in savings on four Yeti power stations starting from $336

The official Goal Zero Amazon storefront is undercutting prices from Black Friday on some of its Yeti Portable Power Stations, with the Yeti 500 now down at $335.95 shipped, after clipping the on-page $114 off coupon, and the Yeti 700 down at $448.95 shipped, after clipping the on-page $151 off coupon. Normally these two stations would run you $450 and $600, respectively, with both hitting $337 and $450 at the end of October, repeating during Black Friday sales. Today, you can grab them at $1 lower than before at new all-time low rates.

Whether you’re in need of portable backup power while on outdoor ventures or even at job sites, these 6th-generation models are designed to support your devices and small appliances when they need more juice. Sharing the same designs and features, they differ in their battery capacities and output power – 499Wh capacity with 500W (1,000W surging) output for the Yeti 500 and 677Wh capacity with 600W (1,000W surging) output for the Yeti 700.

They’ve been upgraded with fast-charging capabilities via a wall outlet, with the Yeti 500 regaining a full battery in 90 minutes while the Yeti 700 reaches a full battery in under 2 hours. Your small appliance and device charging needs are covered by the two AC ports, two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, plus the bonus car port – and both can be hooked up to a solar panel with a max input level of 200W, with recharging ranging from 2.9 hours to 4 hours, depending on your model.

More Goal Zero post-Black Friday deals:

  • Yeti 1500X Portable Power Station (new low): $779 (Reg. $1,279)
    • 1,516Wh capacity and 2,000W output surging to 3,500W
  • Yeti 6000X Portable Power Station (return low): $2,500 (Reg. $3,000)
    • 6,071Wh capacity and 2,000W output surging to 3,500W

Goal Zero post-Black Friday bundle deals:

Worx snow blower

Worx’s budget-friendly 40V 20-inch cordless electric PowerShare snow blower returns to $300 2024 low

Amazon is offering homeowners an affordable means to clear snow from your walkways this winter with Worx’s 40V 20-inch Cordless PowerShare Snow Blower for $299.99 shipped. Carrying a $400 price tag recently since falling from its $440 MSRP over the summer, we last saw this same price pop up just after New Year’s Day for a short period before spending the rest of 2024 keeping above $319. While we have seen in go lower in past years, you’re still looking at a solid $100 slashed off its tag here at the lowest price we have tracked this year – plus, it delivers snow-clearing support at a more budget-friendly price than many heavier-duty competitors.

This Worx snow blower’s brushless motor comes powered by two PowerShare 20V batteries (compatible across its multi-tool ecosystem) in order to clear out a 20-inch wide path around your home and tossing the built up snow up to 20 feet out of the way with its 180-degree rotating chute. You’ll be able to see during early-morning and late-night clearings thanks to the two LED headlights, with the chute’s one-touch deflector allowing for quick and easy adjustments to its throwing height and distance. When you’re all done with the job, you can fold up the handle to save some extra space.

Best ongoing e-bike deals!

Explorer 2000 Plus

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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7 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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Environment

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

Published

22 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

Published

24 hours ago

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April 26, 2025

By

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.

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. 

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