News

ZeroAvia flies hydrogen fuel cell Piper Matrix

ZeroAvia

+VIDEO A Silicon Valley startup called ZeroAvia has developed a flying prototype of a Piper Matrix powered by an electric motor fed from a hydrogen fuel cell.

ZeroAvia plans to scale up the propulsion system and start supplying commercial operators and aircraft manufacturers in 2022, initially targeting up to 500-mile regional flights in 10 to 20-seat fixed-wing aircraft.

“With land transport rapidly decarbonizing, fast-growing air transport is quickly becoming the leading emission source, so we must find ways to make aviation more sustainable,” said Val Miftakhov, ZeroAvia founder and CEO.

“Using hydrogen produced from local renewable energy is the most practical way to enable zero-emission aircraft of commercially meaningful size on traditional 300 to 500-mile regional missions.

“It will also be more economical than conventional turbine engines, or even the battery-based systems, on the total cost basis.

“We calculate the total costs of operating a ZeroAvia aircraft to be close to half of what it costs to fly a conventional turbine aircraft, due to lower fuel input costs, higher powertrain efficiency, and reduced maintenance costs.”

ZeroAvia

The company is already flight testing its powertrain prototype in a Piper M-Class airframe, operating under an FAA Experimental R&D certificate.

The aircraft has completed a variety of test flights, which ZeroAvia says has validated key components and their integration into a complete powertrain system. These tests confirm the company’s “fuel” economy and maximum power delivery targets.

In addition to passenger transport, ZeroAvia says its powertrain will have applications across other operations including cargo, air taxi, agriculture, as well as across the aircraft types, including manned and unmanned fixed-wing, rotorcraft, and everywhere in between.

ZeroAvia

Share

3 comments

  • Aylmer Johnson says:

    How have they solved the perennial problems of fuelling the aircraft and storing the hydrogen safely?

  • Robert Stodieck says:

    What problems were those? The US produces 10 million metric tons of hydrogen every year. Enough to fuel 50 million cars.

    You can the hydrogen availability at every roadside hydrogen filling station in California here. https://m.cafcp.org/

    Google these to see the latest cars.
    Toyota Mirai – The Turning Point2019
    Honda Clarity Fuel Cell – Hydrogen Powered Car
    Hyundai Nexo Fuel Cell SUV | Hyundai USA

  • I fly a Piper Malibu around the world. I would be happy to replace my standard continental engine with an electric engine. A great vision!

Leave a Reply

Share
Topics

We use cookies to give you the best online experience. Please let us know if you agree to all of these cookies.