TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

摘要

CRANFIELD-BASED ZEROAVIA successfully completed the UK's first commercial-scale electric flight on June 22, after using a modified Piper M-class six-seater known as the HyFlyer. This marked a milestone in the company's objectives to realise long-distance zero emission flights in large aircraft and help achieve the UK's wider net zero and greer aviation ambitions. Val Miftakhov, founder and CEO of ZeroAvia, said: "We all want the aviation industry to come back after the pandemic on a firm footing to be able to move to a net zero future, with a green recovery. That will not be possible without realistic, commercial options for zero emission flight, something we will bring to [the] market as early as 2023." The recent flight tested the HyFlyer's electric motor system. ZeroAvia is seeking to develop a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain and plans to power its future aircraft using a hydrogen-electric source. This will offer the same zero-emission potential as battery-electric alternatives, but with a more promising energy-to-weight ratio, making it more viable for large scale commercial operations, as well as lower operating costs due to the high price of battery cycling in typical [highly utilised] regional aircraft." The firm is due to conduct long-distance hydrogen-electric test flights later this summer, with the long-term aim of developing a commercially relevant and certified 10-20 seat aircraft within three years, a 50-100 seat platform by the end of the decade, and a 200-seat aircraft with a range in excess of 3,452 miles (5,556km) by 2040.