#36 – ZeroAvia is Powering Sustainable Aviation with Hydrogen

Sergey Kiselev is the Head of Europe of the sustainable aviation company ZeroAvia. ZeroAvia is working on the first practical zero-emission aviation powertrain fuelled by hydrogen. Even though CO2 emissions of the aviation industry currently only account for 2-3% of the global output, passenger numbers are expected to grow continuously for the next 30 years, such that solutions transitioning to emission-free powertrains need to be formulated, tested and certified now. ZeroAvia has developed a new powertrain that couples hydrogen gas with a fuel cell to drive an electric motor that spins a propeller. This zero emission powertrain currently promises to deliver a 300 mile zero-emission range in a ten-seater fixed-wing aircraft. One of the great things about ZeroAvia is that the company is taking advantage of the economics of renewable energy sources. Due to the intermittency of solar and wind energy, there are times when the electric output from renewable sources far outstrips demand and is therefore cheaply available. It is in these times of high supply that ZeroAvia can split water into its constituents, oxygen and hydrogen. In this episode of the aerospace engineering podcast, Sergey and I talk about:

• how ZeroAvia got started and what the company is trying to achieve
• ZeroAvia’s vision of emission-free regional travel
• the ZeroAvia powertrain
• and much, much more.

If you want to learn more about the topics discussed in this episode, then you can find show notes with links to more in-depth material on the aerospace engineering blog. If you want to support the show then please leave a review; share it on social media with your friends and family; or support the podcast directly on Patreon. Thanks a lot for listening!