ZeroAvia has received its second twin-engine 19-seat Dornier 228 aircraft at its headquarters in Hollister, California. The new U.S. initiative will take the system developed in the UK HyFlyer II project and integrate it into the same type of aircraft.
It will serve as the basis for testing new components and integrations as well as a testbed for working with the FAA ahead of the ZA600 engine’s planned certification in 2024. The company will test new components and integrations under an FAA certificate ahead of the ZA600 engine’s planned certification in 2024.
“This new project in California will allow us to use architectures from our Hyflyer II initiative, where we are working with the same aircraft, and apply those lessons as we further test and demonstrate the system across a number of different use cases,” said Val Miftakhov, CEO and founder of ZeroAvia.
Optimise the zero-emission powertrain design
“Ultimately, this will help us optimize our zero-emission powertrain design ahead of certification. This year we will have two demonstration aircraft flying on two continents powered by our hydrogen-electric powertrains which will further help us secure partner and customer commitments across the worldwide aviation industry.”
ZeroAvia will work towards a hybrid engine configuration that incorporates both the company’s hydrogen-electric powertrain and a conventional engine into the aircraft. The conversion is expected to take approximately 3-4 months to prepare the aircraft for test flights. After the engine is configured, it will enter into the flight testing and demonstration program, spanning passenger, cargo, and industrial use cases with a number of to-be-announced partners.
In the last quarter of 2021, ZeroAvia secured partnerships and funding with major airlines Alaska Air Group and United Airlines to accelerate the development of its ZA2000 engine, the largest of ZeroAvia’s powertrain platforms, capable of producing between 2,000 kW and 5,000 kW. The company also recently announced its latest partnership with ZEV Station where the two will collaborate to develop hydrogen refueling infrastructure at airports in California. ZeroAvia was also just named as a Bloomberg NEF Pioneer for its efforts to decarbonize aviation.
