ZeroAvia has been awarded £10.5 million in Government funding through the ATI strategic programme, to further develop its high-temperature fuel-cell technology, a promising pathway for delivering zero-emission propulsion systems up to and including narrowbody jets.
The Advanced Fuel Cell for Aviation Decarbonisation (AFCAD) project will see ZeroAvia collaborate with the
University of Kent,
Coventry University and the
University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (the AMRC), to advance this crucial technology towards commercialisation. The research will centre on developing components and the full HTPEM stacks and demonstrating previously unmatched levels of specific power and durability.
AFCAD builds on ZeroAvia’s highly successful HyFlyer I and II ATI projects which delivered breakthrough first flights of hydrogen-electric aircraft and were transformative in establishing greater confidence in the potential for commercial, zero-emission flights this decade.
During HyFlyer II, ZeroAvia also demonstrated the largest HTPEM stack module for aviation, showing technology readiness for scaling fuel cells into large commercial aircraft. AFCAD will further develop this technology to unlock the market for large regional turboprops, regional jets and, ultimately, narrowbody aircraft, as well as developing the supporting UK supply chain and advancing the pathway for manufacturing.
Zero-emission propulsion systemsZeroAvia sees HTPEM fuel cell power generation as key to developing zero-emission propulsion systems for aircraft larger than 20-seats, and the technology is integral to the company’s ZA2000 2-5.4MW engine for 40-80 seat aeroplanes.
Val Miftakhov, ZeroAvia’s founder and CEO, said: “The ATI has identified hydrogen as the likely fuel of the future for aviation, and put fuel cells with higher specific power as a major priority on its technology roadmap. The award of this project recognises that ZeroAvia is best placed to develop this technology and that the UK can garner strong industrial advantage from establishing leadership in high-temperature PEM fuel cells for aviation and beyond.”
The ATI Programme is delivered in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade and Innovate UK, and in partnership with industry. James Hunt, future propulsion lead, at the AMRC, said: “The AMRC is committed to helping companies industrialise their ‘net zero’ systems, with a specific focus on developing solutions to the manufacturing challenges of hydrogen applications. Part of this solution will be delivered within our Hydrogen Electric Propulsion Systems testbed at our AMRC Cymru facility in North Wales, led by our future-mobility lead, Lee Wheeler.
“In designing an optimised production process and pilot line, we will enable ZeroAvia to manufacture the HTPEM stack module at the rate and scale required by the aerospace sector, helping anchor manufacturing in the UK and deliver zero-emission flight.”