The motors that power the McMurtry Spéirling and Lotus Evija could be about to unlock the next Concorde

Did you know that UK manufacturer Helix supplies electric motors for use in the ridiculous record-breaking McMurtry Spéirling, the 2,011bhp Lotus Evija and the hybridised V12 Aston Martin Valkyrie?

Pretty cool projects, no? Although Helix’s latest customer might be the coolest of the lot, because Californian startup Astro Mechanica is now using four hypercar-spec electric motors for its new generation of supersonic jet engine.

Yep, Astro Mechanica is currently in the process of testing its fourth-gen engine prototype, and it is targeting its first flight within three years, with hopes to make “on-demand, supersonic passenger travel as accessible and affordable as commercial air travel is today” within a decade.

So, why the electric motors? Well, it’s all very complex, but Astro Mechanica is building a ‘proprietary dual-use propulsion system’ in order to improve the fuel efficiency of supersonic flight. Sounds like we’re about to get a new Concorde Hybrid.

The four Helix SPX242-94 motors make 536bhp each and apparently “separate the propulsion unit from the turboshaft core”. We’re told that the “turbogenerator uses a gas turbine to generate electricity via two motors, which power the four Helix motors in the propulsors that control the fan and compressor”. Told you it was complex.

The hybrid system essentially means that it can mimic a turbofan at subsonic speeds, a turbojet at lower supersonic speeds and a ramjet at very high supersonic speeds. Told you it was cool, too.

Oh, and Helix also says that it’s designing custom motors for the fifth generation of Astro Mechanica’s jet engine. Those motors will apparently have well over 1,200bhp each and will be designed for ‘extreme-altitude operation’. Wonder if they’ll work on land, too? Just a thought given Helix’s hypercar customers…