ZeroAvia has presented that it has signed a brand contemporary Memorandum of Working out (MOU) with PowerCell Personnel to collaborate on next generation fuel cell applied sciences. Joint R&D will agree with intermediate and excessive temperature fuel cells which is ready to initiate up extra energy intensive applications corresponding to gigantic mounted-wing plane and rotorcraft.
The two companies possess been working together for the outdated few years, with PowerCell fuel cell stacks forming segment of the prototype ZeroAvia powertrains that possess powered each of the breakthrough fuel cell flight demonstrators flown by ZeroAvia.
ZeroAvia is designing a bespoke multi-stack steadiness-of-plant structure using PowerCell’s low temperature proton alternate membrane (LT-PEM) stacks appropriate to aviation applications. As such, the Swedish fuel cell producer is a key dealer for ZeroAvia’s first 600kW powertrain (ZA600) designed for as a lot as 20 seat plane.
ZeroAvia’s excessive temperature PEM fuel cell stacks – segment of the roadmap to transport of ZA2000 powertrain for 40-80 seat plane and a key segment of the company’s part offering to other attention-grabbing flight innovators – are already demonstrating industry file energy density in excess of 2.5 kW/kg on the cell stage, with a clear pathway to reaching 3+ kW/kg on the design stage within the coming months.
Increasing the operating temperature of fuel cell systems can enable for a reduction in cooling and humidification required, simplifying the structure and bettering the amount of energy for a given unit of weight.
The collaboration will leverage PowerCell’s long ride industrializing hydrogen-electric applied sciences to push developed fuel cells solutions to excessive TRL ranges. For ZeroAvia, this can present the opportunity to lisp its technology in totally different sectors, whereas retaining its core agree with aerospace.
Val Miftakhov, Founder and CEO, ZeroAvia, said: “In PowerCell, we possess learned a likeminded and collaborative accomplice over the outdated few years, with a shared passion for advancing hydrogen fuel cell applied sciences for additional energy-hungry plane. Working together we can relate trade on this industry faster, as well to using these indecent lisp cases to advance the capabilities of solutions for myriad other transport and non-transport sectors.”
Richard Berkling, CEO PowerCell Personnel, said: “We’re confident that the main hydrogen-electric plane would maybe be flying commercially within the upcoming years. When that occurs, this can possess a snowball attain because the environmental and operating cost advantages changed into sure to airlines and their passengers. For PowerCell, here’s a key future market, and we’re gay to be deepening our partnership with the chief on this rental to win solutions to enable extra attention-grabbing flights, removing extra emissions.”
ZeroAvia has already extensively examined a prototype of its first engine (ZA600) aboard a Dornier 228 plane at its UK indecent and submitted its certification utility for the ZA600 on the tip of closing yr. The corporate has additionally performed developed ground assessments within the US and UK for the main constructing block applied sciences for the ZA2000 design, at the side of cryogenic tanks or LH2 and proprietary excessive-temperature PEM fuel cell and electric propulsion systems. ZA2000 will give a seize to as a lot as 80 seat regional turboprop plane such because the ATR72 or the Trudge 8 400.
