EAP Labs and Testbeds

NASA’s Glenn Research Center is home to world-class facilities designed for testing EAP systems and technologies. Explore the state-of-the-art machinery, equipment, and test cells enabling groundbreaking research in electrified aviation.

Did you know?

NASA Glenn has facilities located in Cleveland and Sandusky, Ohio, that support system- and component-level testing of electrified aircraft propulsion technologies.

Researchers from industry, government, and academia use NASA’s EAP labs and testbeds to advance aeronautics research in electrified propulsion.

EAP test sites help support NASA’s research in hybrid electric flight, vertical lift vehicles, materials development, and more.

NASA’s EAP testing capabilities provide support for every level of technology development, ranging from conceptual design studies to current technology demonstrations.

A white building surrounded by external equipment in front of a blue sky with clouds.

NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT)

NEAT enables megawatt-scale electrified aircraft powertrain testing under simulated flight altitude conditions to enable next-generation hybrid and turboelectric commercial aircraft.

A room full of various test equipment, including gauges, cables, and machinery, with a rectangular motor drive stand in the center.

Advanced Reconfigurable Electrified Aircraft Lab (AREAL)

AREAL is a high-power, direct current testbed designed to investigate electric powertrain architectures and support development of new power standards and verification guidelines for vertical lift vehicles and electrified air transportation.

A rectangular rig surrounded by various wires, cables, and machinery.

High-Power Advanced Cable Technology (HiACT)

HiACT is designed for thermal performance testing of wiring and cable technology for safe operation in electrified aircraft systems.

An angled view of a large, long testbed setup featuring metal hardware, wires, cables, and testing machinery.

Scaled Power Electrified Drivetrain (SPEED)

SPEED is a low-power, direct current, single-string testbed that helps familiarize engineers with electrified aircraft powertrains, verify operations, and characterize motor and inverter components.

A man wearing a blue hard hat stands next to a large cylinder-shaped rig while operating it.

Dynamic Spin Rig

The Dynamic Spin Rig enables vibration and structural mode properties testing of rotating aircraft engine systems and components.

Two men wearing hard hats help hoist a piece of hardware above a circular cryogenic testing rig.

Integrated Cryogenically-Cooled Experiment Box (ICE-Box)

The ICE-Box provides cryogenic testing that enables quick, low-cost methods for conducting low-temperature tests on aircraft components.

Hybrid Propulsion Emulation Rig (HyPER)

The HyPER lab provides a low-cost, low-risk solution for testing aircraft propulsion control technologies using a unique hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) environment.