THE world’s first hydrogen-electric passenger plane took off from a tiny airfield in the UK in late 2020 – and made history.
For eight minutes, ZeroAvia flew at up to 1,000ft over the company’s research and development centre in Cranfield.
When it landed, the retrofitted, six-seater Piper Malibu propeller plane had become the largest hydrogen-powered aircraft in the world.
The ground-breaking flight was part of the HyFlyer project, supported by partners EMEC and Intelligent Energy.
Three months after its test flight, British Airways got onboard.
It teamed up with ZeroAvia to explore how hydrogen-powered aircraft could play a leading role in the future of sustainable flying.
Hydrogen is seen by many as the best way to decarbonise air travel because it makes zero-emission flight possible.
In March this year, ZeroAvia began developing a 2MW hydrogen-electric engine for a 50-seater aircraft.
ZeroAvia, which is based in California, wants to revolutionise aviation by building a new generation of zero-emission powertrains for aircraft of all sizes.
It hopes to bring hydrogen-fuel cell planes to market in 2024.
"Innovative zero-emissions technology is advancing fast, and we support the development of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source because we believe it has the potential to enable us to reach true zero emissions on short-haul routes by 2050"
Hydrogen needs heroes
The hydrogen transition requires individuals, companies and governments with the know-how, belief, financial clout and desire to prove hydrogen’s case
Thanks to a growing number of companies, hydrogen-powered trains, buses, cars, planes are now becoming a reality. We’re here to champion and work with them.