PRIMARY RESEARCH ELECTRIC PROPULSION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ULTIMATELY REDUCE FUEL BURN AND CO2 EMISSIONS UP TO 20 OR MORE COMPARED TO THE CURRENT STATE OF THE ART FOR COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT. THERE ARE HOWEVER 3 KEY TECHNICAL CHALLENGES TO BE ADDRESSED 1. ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGIES THE STATE OF THE ART OF ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGIES FOR MOTORS GENERATORS INVERTERS POWER DISTRIBUTION AND CIRCUITPROTECTION WILL NEED TO ADVANCE TO ENABLE ELECTRIC PROPULSION CONCEPTS FOR COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT.2. AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT PROPULSION SYSTEMS PRESENT A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES RELATED TO AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS THAT MORE STRUCTURALLY AND AERODYNAMIC EFFICIENT CONFIGURATIONS WILL NEED TO ADDRESS3. RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGIES THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF LARGE MEGAWATT CLASS MACHINES IS HAMPERED BY THE LACK OF DEVELOPMENT TESTING FACILITIES.TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES THE OHIO CENTER FOR PROPULSION AND POWER HAS ASSEMBLED A FIRST CLASS TEAM.A. ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGIES THE CENTER FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE POWER ELECTRONICS AT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY WILL TEAM WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN TO ADDRESS THE INNOVATION OF CORE TECHNOLOGIES REQUIRED FOR 1-5 MW ELECTRIC SYSTEMS MOTORS GENERATORS INVERTERS POWER DISTRIBUTION AND CIRCUIT PROTECTION IN AIRCRAFT.B. BATTERY AND ENERGY STORAGE NEEDS INNOVATIVE EFFORTS WILL BE LED BY CASE WESTERN RESERVE. SHE WILL BEJOINED BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR AUTOMOTIVE RESEARCH AT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY. HE WILL BRING HIS INTRINSIC KNOWLEDGE OF BATTERY DEVELOPMENT IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY.C. THERMAL MANAGEMENT: THIS ESSENTIAL EFFORT WILL BE LED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND IN COOPERATION WITH NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY.D. INTEGRATION AND SYSTEM STUDIESGEORGIA TECH WILL LEAD THIS EFFORT IN COLLABORATION WITH AS WE WANT TO BRING THE HYBRID SYSTEM EXPERIENCE OF THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY INTO THE AIRPLANE SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION.E. RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER IS IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING THE NASA ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT TESTBED (NEAT)FACILITY AT THEIR PLUMBROOK LOCATION TO EVALUATE HIGH POWER ELECTRIC SYSTEMS IN A SIMULATED AIRCRAFT ENVIRONMENT. THE TEAM (THEUNIVERSITIES AND GE) WILL BE WORKING WITH NASA TO DEFINE THE REQUIREMENTS AND THE TESTING PLAN FOR THIS FACILITY. IT IS PLANNED ALSO TOTEST MACHINES DEVELOPED ON THIS PROJECT AT THE NEAT FACILITY.F. GENERAL ELECTRIC AVIATION AND GENERAL ELECTRIC GLOBAL RESEARCH GE WILL PARTICIPATE AND PROVIDE GUIDANCE ON REQUIREMENTS AS WELLAS PROJECTED APPLICATIONS THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM. THE AVIATION GROUP WILL BE ALSO PART OF THE SYSTEM INTEGRATION TEAM.