ZeroAvia is advancing the development of Fuel Cell propulsion systems for aircraft . Towards the end of last year, the company received the green light from the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to fly a Dornier 228, a 19-seat aircraft, modified to be able to use its new electric motor powered by a hydrogen fuel cell system.
Yesterday, ZeroAvia took off the aircraft, successfully completing the test flight. This is a new and important step forward in his project to get to make it easier to use. air transport is sustainable.
THE TEST FLIGHT
The plane was designed to be used in a sustainable way. which took off from the company's research and development facility at Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire, UK, and has been developed for the first time. lasted 10 minutes. The development of this technology is an important part of the HyFlyer II project, supported by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) of the British Government, aimed at the realization of a zero-emission propulsion system for aircraft with the ability to fly. from 9 to 19 passengers.
The twin-engine aircraft is designed to accommodate 9 to 19 passengers. been adapted to incorporate the powertrain developed by ZeroAvia. To guarantee maximum safety, the 600 kW electric motor is equipped with an electric motor. been placed only on the left wing. On the right, however, was the classic Honeywell TPE-331 series motor.
The electric motor, in addition to fuel cells, was powered by a battery pack that supplied energy at times of maximum power demand such as in the take-off phase. In this test setup, the hydrogen tanks and fuel cells were housed inside the cabin. Configuration which, obviously, will change in the future. when it comes to to commercialize aircraft equipped with this technology.
The modified Dornier 228 will make the most of the changes. more test flights in the future. The goal is to be able to certify this solution and then make it available on commercial aircraft of this size by 2025. A little more two years ago, ZeroAvia had conducted the first of over 30 flights of a six-seater Piper Malibu aircraft modified with the integration of a Fuel Cell powertrain with a 250 kW electric motor. At the same time, the company is also working on 2-5 MW electric motors that can be used on aircraft with up to 90 passengers. Val Miftakhov, CEO and founder of ZeroAvia, commented:
This is the most important thing in the world. an important moment, not only for ZeroAvia, but for the aviation industry as a whole, as it demonstrates that true zero-emission commercial flight is the only thing to do. only a few years later. The maiden flight of our 19-seat aircraft demonstrates how scalable our technology is and highlights the rapid progress of zero-emission propulsion. This is serious; just the beginning: we are building the future of sustainable climate-neutral aviation. Our approach is; the best solution to accelerate clean aviation at scale. Congratulations to all our team members and all our partners and stakeholders for the collective effort that brought us to this day.
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