On Monday, U.S.-U.K. hydrogen aircraft maker ZeroAvia announced an agreement with MHI RJ Aviation Group (MHIRJ), a fully-owned subsidiary of Japanese industrial multinational MHI Heavy Industries, to jointly develop hydrogen-electric propulsion for regional jets. Under terms of the partnership, ZeroAvia will combine its hydrogen fuel cell powertrain technology with MHIRH’s aircraft design, certification and support experience, to develop new planes with hydrogen-electric propulsion as well as retrofit existing regional fleets.
According to a statement from ZeroAvia, the deal marks a “crucial step” in its progress and entry into a wider market. To date, the company has completed more than 35 test flights of a Piper M-class six-seat aircraft using its hydrogen fuel cell powertrain. Currently, it is working to convert a larger 19-seat Dornier 228 aircraft with a zero-emission powertrain, for which an initial test flight is expected in the coming months. ZeroAvia plans certification and market entry for its 19-seat powertrain by 2024, with an eye towards larger aircraft (50-80 seats) by 2026, and regional jets around 2028.
“Developing aviation solutions for the future requires a re-assessment of their environmental impact and developing new technologies to ensure that aviation lives up to the commitments required to meet carbon reduction targets. At MHIRJ we are working with propulsion innovators to ensure that we are at the forefront of such developments and can design solutions to move the world forward,” said MHIRJ CEO Hiro Yamamoto, in a statement on the partnership. “Regional aircraft are key to keeping smaller communities and regions connected and are also more able to exploit the new technologies on the horizon than larger aircraft and, therefore this is a logical place for this development to begin and we are proud to be a part of this innovative solution”
“We believe that in the future almost every aircraft in the world will be powered by hydrogen-electric engines, simply because it is the most viable and scalable method for eliminating carbon and also to cut the other harmful emissions from the aviation sector,” said ZeroAvia CEO Val Miftakhov. “This collaboration with MHIRJ is a significant milestone for us and the aviation industry as a whole. We are honored to work with MHIRJ to introduce hydrogen-electric propulsion technology into the regional jet segment and demonstrate the myriad of cost and emissions benefits airlines can derive from hydrogen fueled flight.”
Last month, ZeroAvia hosted the U.K. Department of Transport’s Aviation Minister, Robert Courts, at its Cotswold Airport site in Kemble, Gloucestershire. During his visit, Mr Courts announced that ZeroAvia has been approved for a new transport research and innovation grants (TRIG) competition, the Zero Emission Flight Infrastructure (ZEFI) program, which will develop the U.K. aerospace sector’s ability to support the next generation of hydrogen-electric and other zero emission aircraft. ZEFI will be managed by the Connected Places Catapult and funded by the British Department for Transport.
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