A few months ago, we took a look at the emerging technologies from MagniX backed by EasyJet and other big airliners hoping to find a clean alternative for long distance air travel.
These early flights took place in modified aircraft with larger batteries and were deemed very successful, although not without the restrictions of flying electric.
As the market continues to develop alternatives, Airbus look to be weighing in with their own clean alternative.
Three quite different concept aircraft designs were shown, and whilst still very early days, there are hopes that the first zero-emission commercial aircraft could enter service as early as 2035. Whilst the concepts represent different technology pathways that could lead the way to decarbonising the aviation industry, all three rely on one primary power source – hydrogen.
The previous attempts such as those mentioned above have all come with the many challenges associated with electric vehicles, namely in the weight and travel distance, as the batteries required are very heavy, and the ongoing development in the technology limits range.
Airbus have stated that they feel hydrogen holds exceptional promise as a clean aviation fuel and may be the big solution in the aerospace sector, with many other industries able to meet their own climate-neutral targets with the fuel too. With clean hydrogen production being moved forward at an incredible rate, and further advancements in storage options, CEO of Airbus, Guillaume Fuary, stated:
“I strongly believe that the use of hydrogen – both in synthetic fuels and as a primary power source for commercial aircraft – has the potential to significantly reduce aviation’s climate impact.”
That isn’t to say hydrogen isn’t without challenges however, as airports will need significant changes to support a hydrogen based infrastructure. This comes with funding and technology changes, but with so much promise and a desire to move to clean aviation, it does appear that the interest is there.
Although clean aviation may still be a number of years away, changing to a cleaner electric vehicle has plenty of benefits – check out our EV charging solutions if you’re thinking of making a change or get in contact with our specialists to see how you can benefit from a change to renewable.
