It is no secret that aviation has a huge impact on the environment. The World Wildlife Fund describes the industry as “the most carbon-intensive activity an individual can make.” Hopefully, companies are willing to invest millions of dollars to improve the situation. One such company is United Airlines. It has taken an equity stake in ZeroAvia, a firm focused on powering electric motors by utilizing hydrogen fuel cells.
As part of the deal, the company said it expects to purchase up to 100 of ZeroAvia’s ZA2000-RJ- an engine United described as zero-emission and 100% hydrogen-electric. Then, the company plans to use ZA2000-RJ on its regional aircraft. Moreover, the company plans to pursue a conditional purchase agreement for 50 of the engines developed by ZeroAvia. United can order 50 engines on top of the engines it plans to buy from ZeroAvia.
United’s CEO Scott Kirby expressed his opinion about ZeroAvia’s ZA2000-RJ. He said hydrogen-electric engines were “one of the most promising paths to zero-emission air travel for smaller aircraft.”
United Airlines and ZeroAvia
Alongside United Airlines, others also taking part in the funding round include Alaska Air Group. In total, a firm focused on powering electric motors by utilizing hydrogen fuel cells raised $135 million of investment from a range of stakeholders including Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund and Shell Ventures.
Last year, a hydrogen fuel-cell plane from ZeroAvia undertook its first flight. Apart from ZeroAvia Airbus and Rolls-Royce are also working on interesting projects. In September of 2020, a European aerospace giant released details about three hydrogen-fueled concept planes.
In 2021, Roll-Royce’s all-electric aircraft completed its maiden flight, taking to the skies in the U.K. for around 15 minutes. The company’s first all-electric aircraft dubbed “Spirit of Innovation” utilized a 400-kilowatt electric powertrain. In the long run, Rolls-Royce wants the aircraft’s speed to exceed 300 miles per hour.
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