ZeroAvia: a hydrogen-powered electric plane makes its first test flight

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(CNN) — As the climate crisis intensifies, pressure on the aviation industry to reduce emissions is increasing. And now the industry has taken a step forward, with a successful test flight of a hydrogen-powered electric motor, which produces zero carbon emissions.

ZeroAvia’s twin-engine, 19-seat Dornier 228 aircraft completed an approximately 10-minute test flight in the UK on Thursday. Although 19 seats are, of course, tiny compared to regular passenger planes, it is the largest aircraft to have successfully completed a hydrogen-electric powered flight.

Using liquid hydrogen to power fuel cells, the technology eliminates carbon emissions during flight.

This is part of a race to decarbonise the aviation industry, which currently accounts for around 2.5% of global carbon emissions, although its overall climate contribution is estimated to be higher, due to other gases, water vapor and the trails it emits.

Hydrogen has been identified as a promising fuel solution for aircraft because it does not produce greenhouse gases when burned. However, unless hydrogen is produced from renewable energy, its creation process relies on fossil fuels.

The Dornier 228 was retrofitted with a prototype full-size hydrogen electric powerplant, containing two fuel cells, on the left wing of the aircraft. Lithium-ion batteries reinforced support during takeoff, while hydrogen tanks and fuel cell power generation systems were placed inside the cabin, with seats removed.

Half of the power came from fuel cells and the other half from batteries, a company representative confirmed at a press conference after the flight.

The right wing carried a regular engine, for safety reasons – although it was not used during the flight.

From Cotswold Airport, the aircraft performed a taxi, take-off, full circuit and landing on the hydrogen electric engine. It reached a speed of 120 knots, or 139 miles per hour. “All systems performed as expected,” the company said in a press release.

For a commercial flight, of course, the hydrogen tanks and fuel cell power generation systems would be housed outside the aircraft. The company now aims to finalize the configuration and submit it for certification by the end of the year.

At a press conference, a company representative said there were no plans “at this time” to install the hydrogen-electric powertrains (the mechanism that propels the aircraft, including the fuel tanks and engine) on both wings, but added “Anything is possible, and we are learning.” The company has yet to confirm its launch aircraft.

ZeroAvia’s flight is part of the UK government-backed HyFlyer II project, which aims to develop a 600kW powerplant to enable emission-free flight for 9- to 19-seat aircraft, and targets a range of 300 nautical miles. The flight was conducted under a full Part 21 flying permit with the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

The company has come a long way since September 2020, when it completed a hydrogen-electric powered flight of a six-seat Piper Malibu, using a 250 kW hydrogen-electric powertrain. It has since completed more than 30 flights with the smaller engine.

The company – which already has partnerships with seven aircraft manufacturers – has 1,500 pre-orders for different engine variants, according to founder and CEO Val Miftakhov at the press conference. Up to 700 of them are for the engine size that was tested in the UK on Thursday. “We know the market is there for this, now it’s about pushing this to the final design,” he added.

The company aims to serve commercial flights with the technology by 2025. It also aims to expand the technology to larger 90-seat planes, with “further expansion” into narrow bodies over the next decade, have said. they said in a statement. By 2027, they aim to be able to fly 700 miles in a 40-80 seater aircraft.

The latter is not a simple task.

While hydrogen aircraft have been in development since the mid-20th century, they have faced significant obstacles, primarily the low volume energy density of hydrogen compared to kerosene – meaning it would occupy about four times the space of jet fuel – and the latter’s historically low availability and price.

The infrastructure needed to produce and distribute hydrogen is also an issue. At this year’s Airbus Summit, an industry event hosted by the aircraft maker, Airbus boss Guillaume Faury warned it was “of great concern” and could derail the company’s plans to introduce a hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2035.

Days before Airbus’ announcement, Rolls-Royce and low-cost airline EasyJet said they had successfully converted an ordinary aircraft engine to run on liquid hydrogen – a world first, they said. they asserted.
Meanwhile, other companies are developing technology that aims to deliver electric planes. Miftakhov told CNN in 2020 that even compared to the “wildest predictions for battery technology,” hydrogen has greater potential than its all-electric rivals for emissions-free flight.

Meanwhile, ZeroAvia’s Dornier 228 will perform a series of test flights from Kemble in the UK’s Lake District before moving on to demonstration flights from other airports.

Miftakhov said in a statement: “This is a major moment, not only for ZeroAvia, but for the aviation industry as a whole, as it shows that true zero-emissions commercial flight is only a few years away.

“The first flight of our 19-seater aircraft shows how scalable our technology is and highlights the rapid advancements in zero-emission propulsion. This is just the beginning – we are building the future of zero climate impact sustainable aviation.

Speaking at a press conference, calling it “an exceptional day, not just for ZeroAvia or aviation but for the world”, he added: “Aviation [contribution] is becoming more and more important in the face of climate change and we really need solutions.”

“Today we witnessed a major step towards achieving this goal. [of decarbonization]“, he declared in a press conference.

“There’s still a long way to go, but let’s celebrate the accomplishment.”

Rebecca Cairns and Tom Page contributed to this story

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