ZeroAvia’s Dornier 228 prototype plane has a hydrogen-electric powertrain on its left wing and a conventional jet engine on its right wing. (ZeroAvia)
“The first flight of our 19-seat aircraft shows just how scalable our technology is and highlights the rapid progress of zero-emission propulsion,” he said in a statement. “This is a major moment, not just for ZeroAvia, but for the aviation industry as a whole.”
Aviation companies are pursuing two forms of hydrogen aircraft: models with combustion jet engines burning liquid H2, and models with fuel-cell-battery systems using gaseous hydrogen. With the latter, hydrogen flows into the fuel cell and spurs an electrochemical reaction that produces electricity; that in turn drives electric motors and propellers. Since the fuel cells don’t burn hydrogen the way engines do, they don’t generate harmful nitrogen…