Airbus announced its Zero E program in late September, showing three possible candidates for hybrid hydrogen power. Zero E, for zero emissions, is a tall order even for one of the world’s two largest aircraft companies. Now, the company makes yet another announcement – for a novel modular “pod” configuration – “a stand-alone propeller propulsion system powered by hydrogen fuel cells. It consists of the following elements:” A propeller Electric motors Fuel cells Power electronics LH2 tank A cooling system A set of auxiliary equipment Instead of housing the hydrogen fuel in the fuselage, Airbus creates a more spacious cabin by moving fuel storage to each pod. Each pod would be identical and modular. Components could be removed and replaced …
