Company:Hinetics
Hinetics is a clean technology startup focused on the development of high specific power, high efficiency electric motors and generators for electrified aircraft[1] and offshore wind turbine[2] applications. Hinetics' product portfolio is composed of both permanent magnet electric machines as well as lower TRL superconducting electric machines. The company was spun-off from the Haran Research Group,[3] led by Professor Kiruba Haran, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2017[4] to commercialize a slotless motor topology developed under a NASA NRA award.[5]
Hinetics is primarily funded through SBIR/STTR small business grants from NASA, the USAF's AFWERX, and the NSF. They have received more than $3 million from these entities to date[6] through Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III grants. In August 2022, the company was awarded the largest contract in ARPA-E's OPEN 2021 solicitation,[7] totaling $5.7 million,[8] to develop a 10 MW superconducting electric motor for electric aircraft propulsion.[9]
In May 2025, Hinetics demonstrated the world's first fully-integrated, cryogen-free superconducting electric machine[10]. The sub-scale demonstrator, nicknamed "Baby Yoda", consisted of an industrial motor retrofitted with a superconducting rotor having only electrical interfaces[11]. The elimination of rotary transfer couplings, auxiliary cryogenic infrastructure, rotating seals, vacuum ports, and additional balance of plant presents a step change in the commercial viability of superconducting technology[12].
References
- ↑ Lee, Dongsu; Balachandran, Thanatheepan; Sirimanna, Samith; Salk, Noah; Yoon, Andy; Xiao, Peter; Macks, Johanesen; Yu, Yangxue et al. (2022). "Detailed Design and Prototyping of a High Power Density Slotless PMSM". IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications 59 (2): 1719–1727. doi:10.1109/TIA.2022.3230379. ISSN 1939-9367.
- ↑ Balachandran, Thanatheepan; Lee, Dongsu; Salk, Noah; Xiao, Jianqiao; Haran, Kiruba S. (June 2020). "Evaluation and Mitigation of AC Losses in a Fully Superconducting Machine for Wind Turbine Applications". IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity 30 (4): 1–5. doi:10.1109/TASC.2020.2987015. ISSN 1558-2515. Bibcode: 2020ITAS...30S7015B.
- ↑ "The DOE just went on a cleantech spending spree" (in en-us). https://www.emergingtechbrew.com/stories/2022/02/28/the-doe-just-went-on-a-cleantech-spending-spree.
- ↑ "Hinetics LLC - Company Profile and News" (in en). https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1643253D:US.
- ↑ Gipson, Lillian (2016-05-17). "ROA-2014 NRA Awards". http://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/solicitations/2014-nra-awards.
- ↑ "HINETICS LLC | SBIR.gov". https://www.sbir.gov/node/1302033.
- ↑ "DOE Announces $175 Million for Novel Clean Energy Technology Projects" (in en). 14 February 2022. https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-175-million-novel-clean-energy-technology-projects.
- ↑ "DOE ARPA-E awards $10M to U of I researchers to develop clean enegy technologies" (in en). https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/944652.
- ↑ "CX-026424: Hinetics, LLC-Cryogen-free Ultra-high Field Superconducting Electric Motor (CRUISE Motor)" (in en). https://www.energy.gov/nepa/articles/cx-026424-hinetics-llc-cryogen-free-ultra-high-field-superconducting-electric-motor.
- ↑ "Hinetics Runs First Cryogen-Free Superconducting Electric Motor | Aviation Week Network". https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/advanced-air-mobility/hinetics-runs-first-cryogen-free-superconducting-electric-motor.
- ↑ Communications, Grainger Engineering Office of Marketing and. "Hinetics unveils fully integrated cryogen-free superconducting motor" (in en). https://grainger.illinois.edu/news/stories/hinetics-unveils-superconducting-motor.
- ↑ "Electric Aircraft Motor Gets Superconducting Upgrade - IEEE Spectrum" (in en). https://spectrum.ieee.org/electric-aircraft-motor-hinetics.
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