Medium-haul aircraft will start later this year
The British-American company Zeroavia has been working on an aircraft with a hydrogen battery for some time, which is said to have up to 19 seats. The first prototype is scheduled to take off this year.
The mobility sector is changing. Manufacturers of cars, buses and trucks are increasingly banning the classic internal combustion engine and replacing it with sustainable alternatives. Because the means of transport of the future are environmentally friendly and emit hardly any exhaust gases.
But one area still has difficulties with the conversion: the aircraft industry. The reasons are relatively simple. Because if you put batteries in an airplane, it needs significantly more energy to take off. But this requires more batteries. A vicious circle. Experts are therefore trading hydrogen as an alternative.
Hydrogen battery: New aircraft receives approval
The aircraft developer Zeroavia shows, however, that hybrid solutions are possible. For a new model powered by both batteries and hydrogen, received the approval of the British aviation authority CAA.
The aircraft has an output of 600 kilowatts and can carry between nine and nineteen passengers. The manufacturer specifies a range of around 480 kilometers. The means of transport is intended for short and medium-distance journeys. Nevertheless, Zeroavia’s goals remain ambitious.
A further development of the aircraft could achieve a range of 1,100 kilometers in the coming years. Big airlines also believe in this, among others United Airlines and Alaska Air have already invested in the company.
Final certification maybe as early as the end of 2023
With the approval granted, Zeroavia aims to take off for the first time in January 2023. If the first flight succeeds, the company’s aircraft would be the largest ever to take off with a hydrogen battery engine. If everything goes according to plan, the final certification should take place at the end of 2023. There are already more than enough orders.
When scheduled deliveries begin in 2025, Zeroavia will first have to process all pre-orders. These already amount to around 1,500 engines. This also reveals the great interest in the technology. So flying through Germany in a climate-neutral manner could become a reality in the near future.
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