What The First Zero-Emissions Commercial Aircraft Will Look Like
- Editor OGN Daily
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
The ZeroE aircraft could be one of the biggest game-changers in aviation history.
Powered by liquid hydrogen, hydrogen fuel-cell stacks, and electric motors, this carbon-free aircraft was revealed this month at the AirbusSummit on new technologies. It’s a very big deal for aviation lovers (and haters) who doubted that an aircraft that only emits water could ever replace the commercial fleet flying today.
Airbus has been experimenting with several different types of emissions-free propulsion over the last few years, and has finally settled upon the one to focus on: hydrogen fuel-cell stacks for each of the electric engines that drive the four propellers. The stacks would use liquid hydrogen as the fuel source.
“We’re talking about a 100-seat or bigger fully electric aircraft,” said Glenn Llewellyn, vice president of the Airbus ZeroE project. “It would achieve the lowest environmental impact of any propulsion system to date.”
“For decades, the aviation industry has pursued the ultimate goal of an aircraft that flies with no emissions,” said Llewellyn. “Many thought it was maybe beyond reach. With fuel cells, we believe we found the right technology to turn this ambition into reality.”
The Airbus Hydrogen Hubs at Airports program is also growing so that infrastructure will be in place when the aircraft moves into commercial service. The program is designed to promote the expansion of the global hydrogen ecosystem. So far, more than 220 airports as well as multiple airlines and fuel companies have signed on as partners.
There’s no official launch date for the commercial aircraft, but a complete propulsion system will begin testing by 2027.
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