ZeroAvia’s 19-seat Dornier 228 has made its first test flight in the UK. This is the company’s testbed for clean aviation technology, using a zero-emission hydrogen-electric powertrain that is scheduled for certification and commercial flight by 2025.
The HyFlyer II program, announced in June 2021, continues the aggressive promotion of zero-aviation and proves that hydrogen is the way forward for the aviation industry. His original HyFlyer program flew his six-seat aircraft in 2020. It was the largest hydrogen-powered airplane that flew at the time.Currently completed over 30 flights
In 2021, the company made news after its two-seater test plane lost power, crash-landed in a field, lost its left wing in a hedgerow and “suddenly stopped” in a ditch. Thankfully, no one was hurt. His subsequent AAIB investigation found that hydrogen powertrains were not the cause of the accident, but this is certainly a good move for other companies looking to bring the fast-paced start-up mindset to the airline industry. was a warning and a wake-up call. world.
Now, one of the company’s two 19-passenger planes has entered the test-flight phase for the first time, but the technology is being implemented more cautiously. ZeroAvia left his standard Honeywell TPE-331 combustion engine on the right wing and fitted a 600 kW electric motor on the left wing.
In this test machine, the hydrogen tank, fuel cell stack and lithium-ion buffer battery are all inside the cabin for easy monitoring and access. ZeroAvia hopes to have a fully commercial-ready configuration ready for submission later this year, and wants the entire powertrain to be held outside the cabin, possibly in the wings. By 2025, we hope to have this 600 kW powertrain fully certified and ready to perform commercial flights for aircraft with 9 to 19 seats.
The company estimates that the powertrain will deliver around 345 miles (556 km) of range, making it suitable for regional flights. For reference, the standard Dornier 228 can fly up to 702 miles (1,130 km) with her 19 passengers, according to Simple Flying. The only battery-powered 19-seater I can find for comparison is his ES-19 from Hart Aerospace in Sweden, in favor of his 40-seater hybrid design with fossil fuel reserves. It promised a range of 250 miles (402 km) before being abandoned. .
The hydrogen powertrain’s range numbers may not look very impressive for a clean fuel with its touted energy density benefits, but the next step up is already underway. ZeroAvia is working on his 2.5 MW powertrain for 2026. It is designed for 40- to 80-seat airliners and has a projected range of 1,150 miles (1,852 km). Things keep scaling up from there.
Watch the HyFlyer II first flight in the video below.
ZeroAvia Dornier228 – first flight
Source: ZeroAvia
