A hydrogen air taxi flew 850 km and emitted only water vapor

A flying car-like vertical take-off aircraft made by Joby Aviation has completed a first-of-its-kind, 523-mile test flight using hydrogen power. The plane, that Reportedly leaving only a trace of water vapor, it is promoted as a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional gas-powered jets for mid-range regional travel. While questions remain about the long-term viability of hydrogen energy at scale, the test flight proves that it is possible to equip existing electrically powered aircraft with hydrogen fuel cells to effectively extend their range.

Joby is one of several companies trying to create an air taxi service around vertical take-off and landing vehicles (VTOLs). So far, Joby has focused on creating all-electric, battery-powered aircraft with a range of about 100 miles, intended to transport people and products within cities or to major airports. For the new test flight, Joby took a pre-production prototype of one of its battery-electric aircraft and equipped it with a liquid hydrogen fuel tank and fuel system. The modified hydrogen-powered VTOL was able to complete a 523-mile flight over Marina, California with no in-flight emissions. When it landed, the plane still had 10% of its remaining hydrogen fuel charge.

Joby accelerated his exploration of hydrogen energy in 2022 with his acquisition of hydrogen-powered aircraft startup H2Fly. That company completed the first piloted flight of an electric liquid hydrogen aircraft last year. Since then, two other California startups have successfully tested hydrogen fuel sources to power propeller-driven aircraft. One such company, Universal Hydrogen, reportedly flew as high as 10,000 feet at a speed of about 170 knots (195 mph). Joby’s test flight, on the other hand, is the first reported example of a VTOL-style aircraft completing a test flight using hydrogen power.

“Air travel is critical to human progress, but we must find ways to make it cleaner,” said JoeBen Bevirt, CEO of Joby. said in a press release. “With our battery-electric air taxi set to fundamentally change the way we get around cities, we are excited to now build a technology stack that can redefine regional travel using hydrogen-electric aircraft.

Hydrogen energy could reduce emissions and increase VTOL range

Hydrogen has previously been explored with varying degrees of success as a potential alternative fuel source in cars, trucks and even superyachts. In a nutshell, the system works by using hydrogen to create a chemical reaction that can charge the aircraft’s fuel cells during flight. That energy generated can then be used to power the engine and spin the propellers, all with net zero emissions generated during flight. Proponents of the technology believe it can help reduce carbon emissions across the transportation sector. Globally, aircraft were responsible for approximately 2% of global CO2 emissions in 2022. according to the International Energy Agency. That percentage is is expected to increase in the near future years in which air traffic is recovering from a brief lull caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In addition to the supposed environmental benefits, hydrogen power could also act as a range extender for Joby’s all-electric line of VTOLs. Joby envisions a future where their hydrogen VTOL could transport commuters between Baltimore and Boston or Nashville and New Orleans. In theory, the hydrogen plane could also use much of the same underlying infrastructure currently being built for the electric models.

“The vast majority of the design, testing and certification work we have completed on our battery-electric aircraft is transitioning to commercializing hydrogen-electric flight,” Bevirt said. “During the service, we also expect to use the same landing pads, operations team and Joby’s ElevateOS software that will support the commercial operation of our battery-electric aircraft.”

Hydrogen energy is not a panacea

If all this sounds too good to be true from an emissions perspective, that’s because in reality it still is. Hydrogen energy is still much more expensive to produce than electric or fossil fuels. It is also not as environmentally friendly as it initially seems. Although technically, several energy sources can be used to release hydrogen from hydrocarbon molecules 95% of the hydrogen currently produced in the US is made using natural gas which itself is a major source of CO2 emissions. So-called “green hydrogen” from renewable sources remains relatively rare, but that could change thanks to the Biden administration’s initiative with the aim of injecting $7 billion into new hydrogen hub centres. Hydrogen energy, not so long ago considered a science fiction dream, is getting closer to reality.

Hydrogen is also just one of many alternatives and options being explored by the aviation industry. Aircraft startups like Elysian are banking on advances in battery technology to develop an electric-powered passenger plane they hope can transport 90 travelers up to 500 miles without charging. Jet Blue, Virgin Atlantic and other airlines are also investing in so-called ‘sustainable jet fuel’, which uses raw materials, waste products and other renewable resources instead of fossil fuels. A mix of all these alternatives will likely be needed to prevent aircraft CO2 emissions from rising dramatically in the coming years, especially as passengers show no signs of shrinking about total air traffic soon.