In addition, American has increased its investment in ZeroAvia. American made its first investment in ZeroAvia in 2022 and has also now participated in the company’s Series C financing round. The engine agreement follows the MoU the companies announced in 2022.
ZeroAvia is developing hydrogen-electric (fuel cell-powered) engines for commercial aircraft, which offer the potential for close to zero inflight emissions.
The company is flight testing a prototype for a 20-seat plane and designing an engine for larger aircraft such as the Bombardier CRJ700, which American operates on certain regional routes.
“Advancing the transition of commercial aviation to a low-carbon future requires investments in promising technologies, including alternate forms of propulsion,” said American’s CEO Robert Isom. “This announcement will help accelerate the development of technologies needed to power our industry and uphold our commitment to make American a sustainable airline so we can continue to deliver for customers for decades to come.”
The investment and conditional commitment to purchase novel engine technology contributes to American’s aggressive goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In recent years, American has undertaken the most extensive fleet renewal effort in the history of commercial aviation, which currently gives it the youngest mainline fleet of any major US network carrier and improves fuel efficiency. American has made industry-leading investments in sustainability, including finalising an offtake agreement with Infinium, a producer of next-generation low-carbon sustainable aviation fuel, and becoming the first customer of Graphyte’s innovative and permanent carbon removal process.
“In signing this purchase agreement and furthering its investment, American is supporting our mission of innovation for clean aircraft propulsion and it is a good signal that ZeroAvia is delivering on our technology roadmap,” said ZeroAvia Founder and CEO Val Miftakhov. “The solutions that can serve the largest airlines are within reach, and the clean future of flight is coming.”
ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric engines use hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, which is then used to power electric motors to turn the aircraft’s propellers. The only inflight emission is low-temperature water vapour, and the lower intensity electrical systems have the potential to offer significant cost savings.
ZeroAvia is working to deliver cleaner, greener by enabling electric propulsion. With a primary focus on developing hydrogen-electric (fuel cell-powered) engines, ZeroAvia has submitted its first powertrain for up to 20 seat planes for certification with a target of the end of 2025 and is working on a larger powertrain for 40–80 seat aircraft by 2027. The company has secured experimental certificates to test its engines in three separate testbed aircraft with the FAA and CAA and passed significant flight test milestones.
Last year, ZeroAvia conducted a 10-minute test flight using an engine that converts hydrogen fuel into electricity to power one of the aircraft’s two engines.
For heavy transport in particular, such as air travel, hydrogen is likely to be a promising option in reducing greenhouse gas emissions where the lower energy density (hence lower range), high initial costs, and slow recharging performance of batteries are major disadvantages.
The advantages are clear: Hydrogen as on-board fuel or energy will allow for the complete elimination of CO2 emissions in flight, and along the entire energy life-cycle if produced from renewable sources. Its usage in fuel cells allows for zero-emission propulsion (including NOx and particles). When burnt in a turbine engine, very low particle emissions can be expected, as well as reduced NOx emissions, provided that the combustion system is optimised. However, when using hydrogen for combustion, more water vapour is produced. Considering all non-CO2 emissions at flight altitudes, the use of hydrogen in a thermal (combustion) engine will lead to different emissions compared to ‘drop-in’ fuel alternatives and consequently the full climatological impact will have to be assessed carefully.
Rolls-Royce is working with easyJet to develop hydrogen combustion engine capabilities capable of powering a range of aircraft, including those in the narrow-body market segment.
“Green hydrogen, made with electricity from renewable sources is the major factor for sector coupling in the energy sector. Fuel cells, fuelled with this green hydrogen, will play a key role in the decarbonisation of drive systems and power supply. No other technology offers such high reliability, modular scalability and the advantages of renewable energy without dependence on the conventional energy market”, explained Andreas Schell, CEO, Rolls-Royce Power Systems.
The author is an aviation analyst. Twitter handle: @AlexInAir
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