Powertrain for 76-Seat, Zero Emission Aircraft

In an industry increasingly flirting with sustainability and zero-emissions future tech, the simplest way to get positive press and fill the order book is to make a sleek, light, futuristic product that makes “greening up” a fleet as simple as writing a check and waiting for delivery.

Granted, newer propulsion systems often need all the optimization they can get, but the ability to reuse legacy airframes as sustainable aircraft is seldom seen in the industry. Perhaps it’s the lack of ramp appeal, the difficulty at selling the company treasurer on spending large sums of money only to result in a fleet of planes that look and feel no different from how they did when burning jet fuel. Not as eye-catching as futuristic, sleek, sci-fi craft so common to hydrogen aircraft, but certainly true to sustainability as a practice. Reusing aircraft, going from a conventionally-fueled to a zero-emissions fleet, is plenty green in its own right. 

ZeroAvia and Alaska Air Group have entered into a collaboration to develop a hybrid hydrogen-electric powertrain to power a possible 76-passenger regional aircraft, with a target range greater than 500 nm. The initial testbed will be a De Havilland Q400 aircraft, originally operated by Alaska subsidiary Horizon Air, equipped with a 3MW+ hydrogen-electric powertrain system. The resulting aircraft should be a more sustainable, zero-emission proof-of-concept for alternative powertrains. If the conversion is successful, Alaska has the option for up to 50 conversion kits to their existing fleet, turning the Q400 into a veritable green machine without the waste of a new production aircraft. 

ZeroAvia will create a new location in Seattle, Washington as a base for testing and operation. Their location will assist in dispensing necessary fuel and support for the machine, as well as a point of contact for regulatory bodies. Their development for sustainable power plants has already netted a number of milestones, and is currently on track for commercial rollout in 2024 for its 600 kW engines, and 2026 for its 2-5,000 kW engines platforms. Across the globe, the UK branch has worked with UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK, as well as joined the Prime MInister’s Jet Zero Council.

Headway has already been made on the next generation, however, as ZeroAvia has recently ground-tested its 600 kW powertrain designed for 10-20 seat aircraft. That test bed will be a smaller, 19-seat aircraft for evaluation at Cotswold Airport in the UK, with data gleaned going to assist with the 2,000 kW engine slated for use in 2022. 

FMI: www.ZeroAvia.com