The trio of
H2FLY (the Stuttgart, Germany-based developer of hydrogen-electric powertrain systems for aircraft),
Japan Airlines Co Ltd (JAL), and JAL Engineering Co Ltd (JALEC), have signed an agreement to research and evaluate the feasibility of hydrogen-electric aviation in Japan. The agreement was made some two months after H2FLY completed the world’s ‘first piloted flight of a liquid-hydrogen-powered electric aircraft.
The companies say that in the coming months they will collaborate on a study that explores ‘the efficacy of hydrogen-powered fixed-wing aircraft’ in accordance with JAL’s commitment to reducing emissions from commercial flights. They will evaluate the powertrain requirements needed for varying distances of flights and aircraft size, as well as technical specifications based on JAL’s commercial operations. H2FLY will subsequently test and validate the findings of the study.
Josef Kallo, H2FLY’s CEO and co-founder, said: “At H2FLY, we have dedicated the past decade to making significant advancements in the development of our hydrogen technology for aircraft. We are honoured to be collaborating with Japan Airlines, which is leading the way in securing a sustainable future for the aviation industry.
“H2FLY continues to lead the way in hydrogen-electric powertrain systems for aircraft, building and testing six generations of powertrains to date. In September, we successfully completed the world’s first piloted flight of an electric aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen. The series of flights were completed with H2FLY’s piloted HY4 demonstrator aircraft, fitted with a hydrogen-electric fuel cell propulsion system and a liquid hydrogen tank system, doubling the maximum range of the HY4 aircraft from 750 to 1,500km.”
The campaign was the culmination of ‘Project HEAVEN’, a European-government-supported consortium led by H2FLY, which was founded by five engineers from the
German Aerospace Center in Stuttgart and the
University of Ulm, and is working to deliver to market the first qualified, fully hydrogen-electric aircraft powertrain. The company, which was acquired in 2021 by Joby Aviation (a California-based company developing electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft for commercial passenger service), says that in just a few years, hydrogen-electric aircraft are expected to be able to transport 40 passengers over distances of up to 2,000km.