Aviation-Class Synergistically Cooled Electric-Motors with Integrated Drives (ASCEND). | DE FOA 0002238

ASCEND (ARPA-E) Grant Opportunity FAQs

What is the ASCEND funding opportunity?

ASCEND stands for Aviation-Class Synergistically Cooled Electric-Motors with Integrated Drives. It is a competitive research and development funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) under FOA number DE-FOA-0002238. The program is intended to push aviation-class electric propulsion hardware far beyond the current state of the art.

What is the main goal of ASCEND?

The goal is to advance electric propulsion powertrain hardware so it can realistically support decarbonized commercial flight in a major near-term market segment: single-aisle commercial aircraft carrying about 150 to 200 passengers (Boeing 737 class). ARPA-E positions ASCEND as high-risk, high-reward applied R&D that could unlock a new performance trajectory for aviation electrification if successful.

What aircraft and mission profile is the program aiming to enable?

The emphasis is on single-aisle aircraft in the 150 to 200 passenger range, and the broader federal push described includes long-range commercial aviation on the order of about 2,800 nautical miles with carbon-neutral goals.

What exactly does ARPA-E mean by the "all-electric powertrain" in ASCEND?

In this FOA, the all-electric powertrain is the integrated combination of (1) the electric motor, (2) the motor drive/power electronics, and (3) the associated thermal management system. ASCEND is not limited to motor design alone; it focuses on the tightly integrated system that converts electrical power into shaft power for propulsors.

What does "co-design" mean in the context of ASCEND?

Co-design means applicants are expected to treat electromagnetics, power electronics, and cooling as one coupled system rather than as separate subsystems connected by cables and plumbing. The program is centered on integration because key limits in aviation-class electric propulsion are often driven by heat removal, packaging, insulation and voltage constraints, power electronics losses, and the mass of cooling hardware, not only the electromagnetic motor design.

Why does ASCEND focus so heavily on thermal management and integration?

Aviation propulsion is extremely sensitive to mass and losses. Heat rejection and the hardware required to remove heat can dominate system mass and packaging. ASCEND highlights that barriers include not only electromagnetic limits but also heat removal, packaging, insulation/voltage constraints, inverter losses, and cooling mass. By integrating the motor, drive electronics, and thermal system, teams have more degrees of freedom to hit aggressive system-level performance.

What kinds of technical approaches does ASCEND encourage?

ASCEND explicitly encourages emerging materials, new manufacturing methods, and novel machine and inverter topologies. The intent is to achieve performance levels that conventional designs cannot reach and to pursue transformational work that creates new learning curves rather than incremental improvements.

What performance targets are highlighted in the program description?

The description calls out aggressive system-level figures of merit for the fully integrated motor-drive-thermal solution, including specific power on the order of 12 kW/kg and efficiency around 93%. These targets are framed as being well beyond what current electric powertrains can deliver for narrow-body, long-range missions.

Are the performance targets for the motor alone or for the full system?

The targets described are system-level expectations for the integrated solution (motor, drive electronics, and thermal management), not just an optimistic motor core number.

Why are specific power and efficiency such big deal metrics for aviation?

In aviation, every kilogram of propulsion system mass and every percentage point of loss directly affects range, thermal constraints, fuel burn (or energy use in hybrid architectures), and operating economics. That is why ASCEND emphasizes high specific power and high efficiency at the integrated system level.

How is the ASCEND program structured?

ASCEND is organized into two phases. Phase I is planned as an 18-month effort focused on conceptual design and rigorous computer simulation of the motor, drive, and integrated system, along with component or subsystem demonstrations as needed to validate key enabling ideas. Phase II, if invited by ARPA-E at its discretion and subject to available appropriations, is intended to develop, fabricate, and test an integrated developmental prototype.

How long is Phase I?

Phase I is planned as an 18-month effort.

What is expected during Phase I?

Phase I focuses on conceptual design and rigorous computer simulation of the motor, the drive, and their integration. It may also include component or subsystem demonstrations needed to prove the key enabling ideas behind the projected performance.

Is Phase II guaranteed if a team completes Phase I?

No. Continuation to Phase II is at ARPA-E's discretion and is also subject to available appropriations. The description indicates that teams demonstrating strong technical progress and credible pathways to the required metrics may be invited to proceed.

What is expected during Phase II?

Phase II is intended to move to integrated hardware: teams would develop, fabricate, and test an integrated developmental prototype on the order of 250 kW that includes the motor, drive electronics, and thermal management system as a single integrated deliverable.

What prototype power level is referenced for Phase II?

The program description references an integrated developmental prototype on the order of 250 kW.

Why does the program mention a 250 kW prototype?

That scale is described as large enough to be meaningful for aviation-relevant architectures while still being feasible within an R&D program. It aims to balance relevance with practicality for development and testing.

Is ASCEND trying to solve the entire aviation decarbonization problem?

No. The description explicitly notes that ASCEND is not intended to solve the entire problem in one award. It focuses on the conversion step that turns delivered electric power into mechanical shaft power with minimal mass and minimal loss.

How does ASCEND relate to ARPA-E's other aviation efforts?

ASCEND is described as paired with a separate ARPA-E solicitation that targets upstream technologies such as ultra-efficient, lightweight energy storage and fuel-to-electric conversion for carbon-neutral liquid fuels (CNLFs). Together, these efforts aim toward an energy chain where chemical energy from CNLFs is converted to electricity and then to thrust via electric propulsion.

Where does ASCEND fit in the broader aircraft energy chain described?

ASCEND sits in the second conversion step: converting delivered electric power into mechanical power (shaft power for propulsors) with minimal mass and minimal losses through an integrated motor, drive, and thermal system.

Who is issuing the funding opportunity?

The opportunity is issued by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) under ARPA-E's statutory authority.

What type of award instrument is expected?

Awards are made as cooperative agreements, which typically implies substantial federal involvement and active project management compared to a standard grant.

What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?

The opportunity was listed under CFDA 81.135.

How many awards are expected?

The description states an expected number of awards around 12.

What is the maximum award size (ceiling) per project?

The award ceiling is stated as up to $10,000,000 per project.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning a broad set of entity types may apply (such as companies, universities, national labs, and consortia), subject to any clarifications in the full FOA.

How were submissions required to be made?

Submissions were required through ARPA-E eXCHANGE rather than via email or other portals.

Were concept papers required?

Yes. The description indicates that concept papers were required by the stated deadline in the original posting.

What is ARPA-E looking for beyond scientific novelty?

ARPA-E emphasizes market impact and scalability. The agency is looking for credible disruptive potential, including designs that could ultimately be manufactured at competitive cost and deployed at scale, not just laboratory novelty.

What are potential spillover benefits outside commercial aviation?

The description highlights that breakthroughs in high power-density motors, inverters, and cooling could translate to other sectors that value compact, efficient electrification, including electric vehicles, maritime propulsion, wind energy systems, and heavy industrial equipment.

What are the main technical barriers ASCEND is trying to overcome?

The FOA description points to barriers such as heat removal, packaging, insulation and voltage constraints, power electronics losses, and mass added by cooling hardware, in addition to electromagnetic design limits. ASCEND addresses these through tightly integrated system co-design.