Copyright © 2022 ZeroAvia, Inc.
On October 9, 1903, a New York Times editorial predicted that man was at least a million years away from powered flight. Just over two months later, the Wright brothers made history at Kitty Hawk, NC.
Fast forward to 2024 and the aviation industry stands at another innovation crossroads. In this case, climate impact is the grand challenge; specifically, significantly reducing aviation’s growing negative impact and delivering on Net-Zero promises targeting 2050.
At ZeroAvia, we believe that having the vision and a starting point will deliver the change – of mindset, technology and measurable impact – that will enable the industry to grow and meet 2050 targets.
To that end, we just published a new whitepaper that outlines some of the technical parameters for “Scaling Hydrogen Electric Propulsion for Large Aircraft”. Fuel cells can deliver electrification, and thus offer a path to truly scalable sustainable aviation.
This paper sets out a pathway for scaling hydrogen-electric engines into larger regional turboprops, regional jets and narrowbody aircraft. Accomplishing this goal would tackle the majority of emissions in aviation while improving economics so that flight can continue to grow and connect more of the world.
“Aviation is in a precarious spot. Attractive solutions, including hydrogen-electric propulsion, are emerging to tackle the full climate impact of smaller aircraft. ZeroAvia plans to have the first commercial aircraft - between 10-20 seats - flying with its ZA600 engines as early as 2025. The company has also started working on a more powerful engine, the ZA2000, for 40-80 seat aircraft. But if we are to solve aviation’s climate problem, we will need far-reaching solutions that strike at the bulk of flight emissions - those produced by large commercial jets.”
The whitepaper is structured to address each of the three milestone classes of aircraft:
Within each section we dive into the critical areas of operation, including hydrogen storage, power generation systems, electric propulsion systems, propulsors, configuration and more. Data, charts and other supporting research are included to help illuminate the key points.
In conjunction with the whitepaper, Rudolf Coertze, our Head of Research & Development, just presented on the topic at Farnborough International Airshow. You can watch the recording here:
As readers of the whitepaper will find, we’re seeking to both educate a broad audience and stimulate debate by investigating the technological requirements and feasibility of fuel cell propulsion ahead of the imminent entry in service for 10-20-seat aircraft.
We’ve built our company on the belief that scaling hydrogen-electric propulsion right through to narrowbody, single aisle aircraft like Airbus’ A220 through to the A320 class and Boeing’s B737 family is possible. And we – along with many industry partners and suppliers collaborating with us – are actively working to make it happen.
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