UK startup ZeroAvia said it’s successfully conducted a test flight of a hydrogen-powered 19-seater plane as part of a government-backed initiative to develop zero-emissions aircraft.
(Bloomberg) — UK startup ZeroAvia said it’s successfully conducted a test flight of a hydrogen-powered 19-seater plane as part of a government-backed initiative to develop zero-emissions aircraft.
ZeroAvia said a Dornier 228 propeller aircraft, which had one of its engines replaced by a hydrogen-electric motor, undertook a 10 minute long test flight from Cotswold Airport on Jan. 19. While the hydrogen tanks and the fuel cells on today’s flight were housed inside the cabin, it would use external storage tanks in a commercial configuration to allow for the seats to be used.
The startup said that all the systems performed as expected on Thursday’s flight and the company was finalizing a configuration that it would submit for certification this year in order to have commercial routes with the technology by 2025. The aviation industry is under increasing pressure to reduce fossil fuel use, with hydrogen emerging as the likeliest fuel source for non-carbon-based propulsion.
ZeroAvia plans to use the Do228 plane for further test flights from Cotswold as well as other airports. The company is working on scaling up the technology to develop a 2-5 megawatt powertrain that can power an aircraft with as many as 90 seats.
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