Rolls-Royce tested the first hydrogen-powered jet engine late final 12 months, and now, ZeroAvia’s 19-seat Dornier 228 hydrogen plane has efficiently accomplished its maiden voyage. It’s at present the world’s largest hydrogen plane and was retrofitted with ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric engine on its left wing, which works alongside a single Honeywell TPE-331 inventory engine on the correct. The hydrogen-electric powertrain consists of two gasoline cell stacks, with lithium-ion battery packs offering peak energy help throughout take-off and including extra redundancy for protected testing.
On this prototype, the hydrogen tanks and gasoline cell energy technology techniques had been housed contained in the cabin, whereas the industrial configuration would use exterior storage, retaining the inside seats. It flew for 10-minutes at ZeroAvia’s R&D facility at Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire, UK. The corporate is now growing a certifiable configuration as a way to fly industrial routes utilizing the expertise by 2025.
As we speak’s flight is a massively thrilling imaginative and prescient of the longer term – guilt-free flying and a giant step ahead for zero-emission air journey. It additionally demonstrates how authorities funding for initiatives like these is translating into internet zero development,” Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Enterprise.
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