Maria Gallucci
Fri, January 20, 2023
The largest aircraft powered partly by hydrogen took flight this week over the English countryside.
The startup ZeroAvia said it successfully flew its 19-seat prototype plane during a 10-minute flight test on Thursday, marking an early but important step toward hydrogen-fueled flying. The twin-engine aircraft was retrofitted to include fuel cells — which convert hydrogen into electricity — and batteries on one side, with the other side using an oil-burning jet engine.
ZeroAvia’s flight from Cotswold Airport comes as the global aviation industry is searching for viable alternatives to highly polluting fossil jet fuel.
Around the world, commercial air travel accounts for over 2 percent of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, a percentage that’s set to soar in the coming years as passenger travel takes off. And as international air travel approaches pre-pandemic levels, the aviation sector is already driving an overall uptick in emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, which hit a record high last year.
In the near term, major airlines and plane manufacturers are seeking to curb emissions by designing more fuel-efficient engines, electrifying ground operations and increasing their use of “sustainable aviation fuel,” a broadly defined term that today mainly refers to fuels made from used cooking oil and animal fats. Companies are also developing battery-powered planes to hop between islands or make regional jaunts.
As a long-term solution, however, the industry is increasingly considering hydrogen. So far, the carbonless fuel has been tested dozens of times in tiny, single-digit-passenger prototype models. ZeroAvia’s most recent flight test represents a significant step up from earlier efforts, said Val Miftakhov, founder and CEO of the Hollister, California–based company.
“The first flight of our 19-seat aircraft shows just how scalable our technology is and highlights the rapid progress of zero-emission propulsion,” he said in a statement. “This is a major moment, not just for ZeroAvia, but for the aviation industry as a whole.”
Aviation companies are pursuing two forms of hydrogen aircraft: models with combustion jet engines burning liquid H2, and models with fuel-cell-battery systems using gaseous hydrogen. With the latter, hydrogen flows into the fuel cell and spurs an electrochemical reaction that produces electricity; that in turn drives electric motors and propellers. Since the fuel cells don’t burn hydrogen the way engines do, they don’t generate harmful nitrogen oxides or fine particulate matter.
However, liquid-burning engines are expected to produce more power than fuel cells — enough to cover most short- and medium-haul flights. Fuel-cell aircraft will likely be limited to short-haul regional routes, which are typically less than 400 miles, according to researchers at the International Council on Clean Transportation.
ZeroAvia’s flight, which was initially planned for July 2022, is part of the HyFlyer II project, a major research and development program backed by the U.K. government. In previous experimental flights, the startup used a six-seat prototype propeller plane equipped with only fuel cells and batteries. In April 2021, a prototype called the Piper Malibu was damaged during a forced landing at another small research airport. The bigger Dornier 228 aircraft tested this week had a different technology arrangement than its predecessors, using both a zero-carbon system and a conventional jet engine.
ZeroAvia said it expects to deliver a 2- to 5-megawatt hydrogen-electric propulsion system that’s certified to fly in 2023, with plans to launch nine- to 19-seater commercial aircraft with a 300-mile range by 2025.
Hydrogen-Powered Planes Could be the Best Bet For Greener Air Travel
Alejandro de la Garza
Fri, January 20, 2023
Web Summit 2021 - Day Three
Valery Miftakhov, ZeroAvia CEO, speaking in Lisbon, Portugal. ZeroAvia on Jan. 19 2023 completed a successful hydrogen-fueled flight in the UK. Credit - Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile for Web Summit—Getty Images
Yesterday, the world’s largest-ever hydrogen-powered plane took off from an airport in the U.K., made a 10-mile circle in the air, and landed again about 10 minutes later. The plane, a Dornier 228 19-seat turboprop extensively modified by startup ZeroAvia, wasn’t exactly a jumbo jet, but it still accounts for a significant step in the nascent world of zero emission flight. The previous record for largest hydrogen aircraft, also held by ZeroAvia, was for a 6-seat aircraft.
On board, a pair of fuel cells converted hydrogen into electricity to run an electric motor on the plane’s left wing, aided by a lithium-ion battery that added extra power during takeoff. In case something went wrong with the zero-carbon setup, the plane’s other propeller was powered by a conventional kerosine engine. And to keep things simple, the test plane only had about 10 kilograms of hydrogen on board (22 lbs), enough to fly for about 30 minutes. “In the target configuration for commercial [flights], we’re looking at 80 to 100 kilos of hydrogen on board. So significantly longer range,” says Val Miftakhov, ZeroAvia’s CEO.
This current plane is a stepping stone in the company’s larger ambitions. They’re currently working on a hydrogen power system for a 76-seat regional aircraft, which could be ready around 2026.
The aviation industry produces about 2% of all humanity’s carbon dioxide emissions, a share that’s expected to grow as air travel expands, with many analysts expecting the sector to triple by 2050. It’s critical to find sustainable alternatives. But the physical constraints that planes operate under—they have to be lightweight, refuel quickly, and carry enough stored energy on board to make it a decent distance before they have to refuel again—means that making a green replacement is more difficult than, say, building electric cars.
Some startups are working to develop fully electric, battery-powered planes, with some success, though many designs are relatively small. Alice, a battery-electric airplane developed by startup Eviation, which had its first short test flight last fall, can carry nine passengers. The largest battery powered plane, an electrified Cessna Grand Caravan first flown in 2020, can carry 14 passengers. Other companies are betting on so-called “e-fuels,” which use chemical processes to convert renewable energy into liquid fuels like kerosine, which then could be used by planes of any size, and many airlines are investing in scaling up this seemingly simple solution. But many processes to produce that fuel rely on organic feedstocks, and there ultimately may not be enough to go around. That leaves batteries and hydrogen as two longer-term clean energy solutions.
Read more: We’re Gonna Need a Greener Boat
Miftakhov, a former electric vehicle charging entrepreneur, says that battery powered planes have a shot at decarbonizing the market for small, short-range planes, but that hydrogen is the only reasonable option for decarbonizing longer routes flown by bigger aircraft. “If you do the math, there is actually a limitation on how much energy you can store in the battery,” Miftakhov says. “You’re not going to be able to run a 787 over the Atlantic on that energy source.”
Those longer flights account for the lionshare of the airline industry’s emissions. In 2020, long flights of more than 4,000km (2,485 mi.) constituted just 6% of all flights departing from European airports, but accounted for more than half of total flight emissions, according to an analysis by Eurocontrol. The shortest flights of 500 km (310 mi.) or less, the ballpark range of those being targeted by battery-electric airplane companies, were about 30% of departing flights, and 4% of emissions.
In order for battery-powered flight to compete beyond extremely short flying routes, says Miftakhov, batteries would have to store a lot more power, charge very fast, and last for thousands of battery cycles before they need to be replaced. “These are at natural conflict with each other,” he says. “To move all these three by an order of magnitude each is a monumental challenge.”
Hydrogen, on the other hand, has enough energy density to power the largest planes, according to Miftakhov. (Though even compressed hydrogen takes up a larger volume on board a plane than conventional kerosine.) European aircraft giant Airbus, for instance, is working on developing large hydrogen engines, which it claims it will be able to demonstrate in the next four years. And unlike e-fuels, producing hydrogen doesn’t require complicated chemical processes—it can even be produced at an airport if need be.
“Eventually, I think it’s all going to be… electric motors powered by hydrogen fuel cells,” Miftakhov says. “15 to 20 years out—obviously uncertain—we’ll get the technology to a point when it can power some of the largest planes out there.”
Alejandro de la Garza
Fri, January 20, 2023
Web Summit 2021 - Day Three
Valery Miftakhov, ZeroAvia CEO, speaking in Lisbon, Portugal. ZeroAvia on Jan. 19 2023 completed a successful hydrogen-fueled flight in the UK. Credit - Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile for Web Summit—Getty Images
Yesterday, the world’s largest-ever hydrogen-powered plane took off from an airport in the U.K., made a 10-mile circle in the air, and landed again about 10 minutes later. The plane, a Dornier 228 19-seat turboprop extensively modified by startup ZeroAvia, wasn’t exactly a jumbo jet, but it still accounts for a significant step in the nascent world of zero emission flight. The previous record for largest hydrogen aircraft, also held by ZeroAvia, was for a 6-seat aircraft.
On board, a pair of fuel cells converted hydrogen into electricity to run an electric motor on the plane’s left wing, aided by a lithium-ion battery that added extra power during takeoff. In case something went wrong with the zero-carbon setup, the plane’s other propeller was powered by a conventional kerosine engine. And to keep things simple, the test plane only had about 10 kilograms of hydrogen on board (22 lbs), enough to fly for about 30 minutes. “In the target configuration for commercial [flights], we’re looking at 80 to 100 kilos of hydrogen on board. So significantly longer range,” says Val Miftakhov, ZeroAvia’s CEO.
This current plane is a stepping stone in the company’s larger ambitions. They’re currently working on a hydrogen power system for a 76-seat regional aircraft, which could be ready around 2026.
The aviation industry produces about 2% of all humanity’s carbon dioxide emissions, a share that’s expected to grow as air travel expands, with many analysts expecting the sector to triple by 2050. It’s critical to find sustainable alternatives. But the physical constraints that planes operate under—they have to be lightweight, refuel quickly, and carry enough stored energy on board to make it a decent distance before they have to refuel again—means that making a green replacement is more difficult than, say, building electric cars.
Some startups are working to develop fully electric, battery-powered planes, with some success, though many designs are relatively small. Alice, a battery-electric airplane developed by startup Eviation, which had its first short test flight last fall, can carry nine passengers. The largest battery powered plane, an electrified Cessna Grand Caravan first flown in 2020, can carry 14 passengers. Other companies are betting on so-called “e-fuels,” which use chemical processes to convert renewable energy into liquid fuels like kerosine, which then could be used by planes of any size, and many airlines are investing in scaling up this seemingly simple solution. But many processes to produce that fuel rely on organic feedstocks, and there ultimately may not be enough to go around. That leaves batteries and hydrogen as two longer-term clean energy solutions.
Read more: We’re Gonna Need a Greener Boat
Miftakhov, a former electric vehicle charging entrepreneur, says that battery powered planes have a shot at decarbonizing the market for small, short-range planes, but that hydrogen is the only reasonable option for decarbonizing longer routes flown by bigger aircraft. “If you do the math, there is actually a limitation on how much energy you can store in the battery,” Miftakhov says. “You’re not going to be able to run a 787 over the Atlantic on that energy source.”
Those longer flights account for the lionshare of the airline industry’s emissions. In 2020, long flights of more than 4,000km (2,485 mi.) constituted just 6% of all flights departing from European airports, but accounted for more than half of total flight emissions, according to an analysis by Eurocontrol. The shortest flights of 500 km (310 mi.) or less, the ballpark range of those being targeted by battery-electric airplane companies, were about 30% of departing flights, and 4% of emissions.
In order for battery-powered flight to compete beyond extremely short flying routes, says Miftakhov, batteries would have to store a lot more power, charge very fast, and last for thousands of battery cycles before they need to be replaced. “These are at natural conflict with each other,” he says. “To move all these three by an order of magnitude each is a monumental challenge.”
Hydrogen, on the other hand, has enough energy density to power the largest planes, according to Miftakhov. (Though even compressed hydrogen takes up a larger volume on board a plane than conventional kerosine.) European aircraft giant Airbus, for instance, is working on developing large hydrogen engines, which it claims it will be able to demonstrate in the next four years. And unlike e-fuels, producing hydrogen doesn’t require complicated chemical processes—it can even be produced at an airport if need be.
“Eventually, I think it’s all going to be… electric motors powered by hydrogen fuel cells,” Miftakhov says. “15 to 20 years out—obviously uncertain—we’ll get the technology to a point when it can power some of the largest planes out there.”
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