Zeroavia has raised US $115million from United Airlines (UA), Alaska Airlines, British Airways and Amazon. It promises to fly a zero emission hydrogen fuel cell regional airliner as soon as next year Now, the startup has set itself a slightly less ambitious goal: to build a hybrid aircraft
According to a recent press release, this new experimental aircraft is being built in California. It is a 19 seat Dornier 228, which will have "hybrid engine configuration, including both the company's hydrogen electric power system and traditional engines".
However, zeroavia refused to tell techcrunch why it would change its plan. The hybrid system can reassure regulators that Dornier aircraft can fly safely for testing, while the company continues to develop the world's largest aviation hydrogen fuel cell.
Before deciding to build a hybrid aircraft, the British Aviation Accident Investigation Office (aaib) issued a previously unreported statement on the crash of the lunar landing project that attracted investors' attention in April 2021: there was a small fuel cell and battery powered prototype aircraft near Cranfield airport.
Aaib found that the crash near Cranfield airport occurred when the five seat Piper Malibu lost power after shutting down the battery. At that time, only the motor driven by the hydrogen fuel cell was left. Although the pilot and passengers escaped injury, the subsequent forced landing seriously damaged the aircraft.
Techcrunch disclosed last year that Piper Malibu was heavily dependent on batteries and had been using batteries during the historic first flight of Malibu in zeroavia in September 2020. The only other flight prototype of the company, another Piper Malibu, was damaged in 2019 when installing hydrogen fuel tanks at zeroavia's US base in Hollister, California, and has not flown since.
After the Cranfield crash, zeroavia moved its UK operations to Kemble airport in Gloucestershire, which provided the start-up with financial incentives. Zeroavia now has two Dornier 228 aircraft, one in Kemble and the other in Hollister. Zeroavia previously said that it would use the newly developed 600 kW hydrogen fuel cell to power the Dornier aircraft.
Zeroavia has received over £ 14million from the UK government to build aircraft there as part of its commitment to achieve "zero carbon jet" flagship aviation by 2050.
The crash of its smaller prototype ended zeroavia's opportunity to fulfil its promise to use hydrogen to fly that particular aircraft 300 miles. Zeroavia received £ 1.6m to achieve this goal.
Zeroavia's latest £ 8.3 million project in the UK, hyflyer II, promises to carry out a similar 300 mile zero carbon flight by next February, which will be powered by 600 kW fuel cells. It is not clear whether Kemble Dornier will now also use hybrid systems.
Zeroavia declined to answer detailed questions about its progress. Spokeswoman Sarah malpeli told techcrunch that the company could not comment on the Cranfield crash until aaib's final report was released later this summer.
The British funding agency, the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), provided such a statement: "due to trade secrets, ATI will not comment on the progress of the actual project. We will continue to work closely with zeroavia and look forward to hyflyer and hyflyer II's contribution to the understanding and development of UK zero carbon emission aircraft technology."
Building a hybrid aircraft with conventional engines is a big change for the company, because zeroavia has always called its system zero emissions.
However, other companies, including Airbus, are pursuing hybrid solutions for hydrogen aviation.
The development of pure hydrogen powered aircraft faces many challenges, from fuel storage to cooling system so that it will not overheat during flight. To date, the most advanced hydrogen fuel cell aircraft may be h2fly. The four seat experimental plane completed a 124 kilometer flight between Stuttgart and Frederick Shafen last month, with an altitude of more than 7300 feet.
Earlier this year, zeroavia released a video showing a complete propulsion system installed on a hypertruck ground vehicle and powered by propellers. This configuration has two fuel cells and some batteries, which may be about one third of the system required for the takeoff of Dornier aircraft. It does not include a conventional engine.
The ultimate goal of the company is to build a fuel cell capable of producing 2000 to 5000kW.
Earlier this year, zeroavia received $350000 in economic development grants from Washington state, where it began work on the 76 seat de Haviland dash-8 q400 aircraft of Alaska Airlines.
However, the company has not always been successful in obtaining public funds. Zeroavia is suing the U.S. government, a previously unreported case filed in the U.S. Federal Claims Court. Most of the documents in this case are sealed, but it seems to be related to zeroavia's failed bid for a federal contract.
The future of fuel cells
Soon after the accident, zeroavia's road seemed to focus on fuel cells.
For example, according to the press release of powercell Sweden AB, the manufacturer of fuel cells used by the crashed aircraft, the company has spent more than SEK 23million on fuel cells since the accident. This could be equivalent to 10 to 13 100 kW fuel cells. In addition, zeroavia is evaluating the fuel cell of New York startup hyzon.
Zeroavia does not have a hydrogen powered operating aircraft. However, the company will continue to build new business partnerships and commit to more ambitious projects and timetables.
Miftakhov, who attended the world economic forum in Davos this week, posted a blog saying that the British Dornier is "about to fly" and will be put into use in 2024.
Zeroavia announced this week that a larger dash would fly before 2026. It also announced a new plan to convert a regional jet to hydrogen fuel cell operation "as early as the end of the 2020's".