Lightweight Motor/Generator for Hybrid Electric Powertrains

The future operational landscape of the U.S. Army is expected to require significantly higher energy and power to support increasingly complex and demanding mission profiles. With advancements in battlefield technology, including unmanned systems, directed energy weapons, and sensor suites, there is a critical need for hybrid electric powertrains capable of providing enhanced mobility, endurance, and survivability across diverse environments. Hybrid electric powertrains are uniquely positioned to meet these needs by enabling new vehicle architectures—both air and ground—that offer increased operational flexibility. These architectures can deliver key tactical advantages such as improved fuel efficiency, extended range, enhanced onboard power generation capacity for advanced electronics and weapon systems, and the ability to reduce acoustic and thermal signatures through silent, all-electric operating modes. However, the development of hybrid electric platforms faces significant challenges in component availability. For both ground and aerial platforms, balancing power density, weight, efficiency, and reliability is essential to meet the Army’s stringent performance requirements. The current state of commercially available components presents a significant gap for vehicle developers. Many of the existing powertrain components on the market are hobby-grade or foreign-manufactured, lacking the necessary durability, power ratings, and quality control required for military applications. This issue is particularly pronounced in the nascent hybrid electric aircraft market, where there is a dearth of U.S.-manufactured components that meet the Army’s needs for mission-critical powertrains with the right mix of power, weight, and efficiency. As a result, developers are often forced to use suboptimal components for early-stage prototyping, with limited options for scaling to robust, domestically-produced systems. This market gap not only hinders the development of prototype systems that could meet the Army's mission needs but also presents a strategic vulnerability, as it relies on foreign supply chains for critical vehicle components. The U.S. Army requires hybrid powertrains that are optimized to meet its mission-specific demands, including higher power-to-weight ratios, extreme environmental durability, and long-term logistical sustainability through domestic supply chains. Addressing these challenges will be critical to achieving the Army's goals for future mobility, lethality, and survivability on the battlefield.The goal of this program is to develop an American-made 30-50 kW class permanent magnet electric motor/generator to enae hybrid electric powertrains used in air and ground vehicles. CRG has assembled a coalition of small businesses capable of providing an end-to-end solution from clean sheet motor/generator design through prototyping, hybrid powertrain system integration, product sales, manufacturing, and sustainment.