Airbus has agreed to invest in and collaborate with ZeroAvia to progress plans to make hydrogen-powered flights a reality — a move the start-up describes as the “strongest possible validation” of the hydrogen-electric propulsion technology it is developing.
The European airframer, which aims to put its own hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft into service by 2035 through its ZEROe research program, is co-leading ZeroAvia’s latest financing round alongside Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital and Saudi Arabia’s NEOM Investment Fund. Other investors participating in the latest funding round include Alaska Airlines, Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Horizons Ventures.
In addition to investing an undisclosed sum in ZeroAvia, Airbus will work with the US- and UK-based start-up on certification approaches for hydrogen power systems, as well on “a number of critical technical areas”, says ZeroAvia. These will include liquid hydrogen fuel storage, flight- and ground-testing of fuel-cell propulsion systems, and the development of hydrogen refueling infrastructure and operations.
“For ZeroAvia to now have investors such as Airbus coming on board is the strongest possible validation of the prospects for hydrogen-electric propulsion technology,” says ZeroAvia founder and chief executive Val Mifakhov.
Glenn Llewellyn, vice president of Airbus’ ZEROe aircraft program, points to ZeroAvia’s “successful” flight testing of fuel-cell propulsion and hydrogen storage and distribution systems on a 19-seat Dornier 228, noting that this puts the company in a “strong position” to take its technologies to the next level.
“In addition, ZeroAvia is supporting the development of a wider hydrogen ecosystem for aviation — technologies, decarbonized hydrogen supply and certification of hydrogen propulsion systems — which all complement well with our own ambition to bring a ZEROe hydrogen-powered aircraft to service by 2035,” says Llewellyn.
Earlier this year, ZeroAvia signed a partnership agreement with Shell and Rotterdam The Hague airport to develop a concept of operations for the use of hydrogen in airports. The aim is to operate demonstration flights from Rotterdam to destinations in Europe within a 250 nautical mile radius by the end of next year.
ZeroAvia says the latest financing round will help it “accelerate progress” toward certifying its first product — the ZA600 hydrogen-electric engine — which it hopes will power a nine- to 19-seat aircraft with a 300-mile range that can enter service in 2025.
The new funds will also be used to further develop its larger ZA2000 engine program, with flight tests planned for 2024 on a 76-seat De Havilland Dash 8-400 demonstrator provided by Alaska Airlines. This engine is being designed to support a 40- to 80-seat aircraft with a range of 700 miles by 2027.
The investment in ZeroAvia is not the first time Airbus has put money into a start-up focused on hydrogen-powered flight. Two years ago, Airbus Ventures took part in Universal Hydrogen’s $20.5 million financing round.
California-headquartered Universal Hydrogen is undergoing a two-year flight-test program, which it expects to culminate in the 2025 service-entry of an ATR 72 regional aircraft converted to run on hydrogen. Earlier this year, Universal Hydrogen test flew a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 with a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain installed in one of its nacelles.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this month accepted Universal Hydrogen’s application for a supplemental type certificate (STC) to convert ATR 72s to run on the company’s liquid hydrogen modules and fuel cell-electric propulsion system. The FAA issued Universal Hydrogen with a G-1 document, which the company says marks an “important milestone” in its quest to make hydrogen-powered commercial flights take off.
“I believe we have an important industry first here, and we appreciate our responsibility to ensure that the airworthiness certification criteria that are established set a positive precedent for the rest of the nascent hydrogen aviation industry,” said Universal Hydrogen president and chief technical officer Mark Cousin on announcing the development.
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Featured image credited to ZeroAvia/Alaska Airlines
