On January 19, ZeroAvia, a startup focused on hydrogen powertrains for aircraft, successfully completed the first flight of its Dornier Do228 demonstrator. This flight marks the first time that the largest aircraft to date has used a hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain.
On January 19th, at 1:35 PM, the Dornier Do228 demonstrator aircraft, which has been retrofitted to use a hydrogen-electric powertrain, took off from Cotswold Airport in the UK for a 10-minute flight.
The flight was powered by the 600kW ZA-600 powertrain, which consists of two fuel cell stacks located on the left wing, and lithium-ion battery packs for peak power support during takeoff and added safety redundancy. The right wing of the aircraft was fitted with a conventional Honeywell TPE-331 stock engine.
ZeroAvia is using hydrogen in gas form for the ZA-600 and the tanks and fuel cell have been placed inside the cabin for test flights. In a commercial setup, the hydrogen tanks would be placed outside to create more space for passengers and cargo within the cabin.
ZeroAvia has five active facilities in the US and UK, where it is involved in the HyFlyer II program. This R&D initiative is supported by the UK government through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) with the goal of reducing the carbon footprint of aviation.
The company is already working on its next powertrain, the 2-5MW ZA-2000, which will be able to power turboprops with up to 90 seats. A version for jet propulsion is also being considered for future development.
This test flight comes two years after ZeroAvia conducted over 30 flights with a smaller demonstrator, a modified six-seat Piper Malibu aircraft powered by a 250kW hydrogen-electric powertrain. ZeroAvia aims to have its system certified by 2025.
