ZeroAvia and Absolut Hydrogen have announced a partnership to develop liquid hydrogen (H2(l)) production, storage and refuelling infrastructure at airports.
The two companies will collaborate on building and demonstrating liquefaction and liquid hydrogen storage facilities for the airport environment.
They will also explore the required technology, operations, safety procedures and standards for large-scale deployments that could deliver a sufficient supply of liquid hydrogen to aircraft.
Arnab Chatterjee, VP Infrastructure, ZeroAvia, said:As well as building our in-house liquid hydrogen knowledge over the last few months, it has been critical to establish partnerships to begin building the ecosystem that can deliver liquid hydrogen fuel for larger aircraft, at larger airport locations. Retaining and growing aviation will bring us all closer together and keep the world small, but it depends upon this quest for zero-emission aviation being successful.
The use of liquid hydrogen in aircraft will improve the volumetric energy density of the fuel to support larger aircraft flying more passengers on longer routes.
Because ZeroAvia’s first certified powertrains will be powered by gaseous hydrogen, these aircraft will only have capacity for up to 19 seats.
In contrast, its ZA2000 engine, with a 2–5.4MW modular powertrain, will use liquid hydrogen to power aircraft with 40–80 seats. This development is targeted for entry-in-service in 2027 and will require airports to be fitted with the necessary infrastructure for H2(l) supply.
To meet this demand, Absolut Hydrogen provides H2(l) systems that range from providing < 50kg/day to 1 tonne/day.
Jérôme Lacapère, CEO of Absolut Hydrogen, said:This partnership with ZeroAvia is an opportunity to take a new step towards more sustainable aviation. Liquid hydrogen is considered the most advantageous state for tomorrow's aviation and heavy-duty mobility in general, and Absolut Hydrogen enables its availability thanks to its H2 liquefiers. I am convinced this partnership will lead to new standards on liquid hydrogen infrastructure for aircraft.
