ZeroAvia, already deploying hydrogen as a main part of its flight program, is exploring the use of cryo-compressor technology to deliver more energy dense H2 for longer flights. If we think of gasoline or Diesel fuel as “Cream of Energy Soups,” we might understand their preeminence as energy carriers. A U. S. gallon (3.8 liters) of Gasoline for instance, contains about 33.4 kilowatt-hours of energy. Compare this to a state-of-the-art lithium battery, which tops out at around 0.5 kW-hrs. A Diesel engine might be able to convert 50 percent of that to useful work, with the rest going to waste heat. A gasoline engine fares even worse, extracting perhaps 30 percent as work and 70 percent as waste heat. Electric Motors, however, are highly energy efficient, some extracting up to 97 percent of a battery’s stored energy. If one uses hydrogen instead of batteries, one can reach parity with the amount of energy available to spin the propellers. As early …
Following the Sky Taxi Money: eVTOLs
As though by magic, money from Wall Street, venture capitalists and other investors show a growing interest and cash flow in sky taxis. It started on August 11 with JoeBen Bevirt of JOBY ringing the bell that starts trading on the stock market floor. As one web site points out, it’s up to the discretion of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as to who gets to ring the bell and, “Only those companies with stocks or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) listed on the exchange can ring the bell.” We’ll look at a sampling of companies making electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles and selling in domestic and foreign markets for an overview of what’s hot. Later, we’ll look at the inroads being made by makers of fixed-wing aerial vehicles in the nascent regional market. Archer “The closing of the business combination (with Atlas Crest Investment Corp.) generated $857.6 million of gross proceeds, which will help fund Archer’s vision …
Going Big and Bigger with Hydrogen
Two companies promoting hydrogen power for aircraft are upsizing their aspirations, with aircraft hauling four to up to 40 passengers. Both have ambitious timelines. ZeroAvia, operating in Hollister, California and Cirencester, England has been flying a Piper Malibu demonstrator, but anticipates flying a 10 to 20 passenger Dornier by 2024. It would expand that to a 50-passenger craft by 2026. H2Fly in Germany has been flying their Pipistrel-designed HY4 for several years and through six generations. The firm looks forward to taking incremental steps toward a 40-passenger regional airliner by 2030. ZeroAvia ZeroAvia reports on troubling trends in aviation’s contribution to greenhouse gases, but follows with a possible solution. According to their web site, aviation accounts for over 12 percent of total transportation emissions, and may double that by 2050. High altitude contrails mean aviation emissions have two to four times the effect of ground source emissions. Regulators want drastic changes. The European Union mandates a one quarter the CO2 …