Universal Hydrogen has raised an additional $62 million in funding to take the startup through initial flight testing of its hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion conversion for regional turboprops.
Reliable Robotics has raised an additional $100 million in funding to continue development of its remotely operated aircraft system for cargo and passenger aircraft.
The long-term sustainable growth of air transport will hinge on the development of net zero carbon propulsion technologies and NASA has taken a concrete step toward fostering the development of one such option.
French president Emmanuel Macron says the first commercial aircraft relying on hydrogen should be in service by 2030, earlier than Airbus’ stated target of 2035.
A shift from electric and hybrid-electric propulsion toward hydrogen is evident among sustainable aircraft projects announced so far this year, according to European consultancy Roland Berger.
U.S. startup Prometheus Fuels expects to begin delivering commercial quantities of its carbon-neutral sustainable aviation fuel toward the end of 2022.
A project to demonstrate low-carbon production of sustainable aviation fuel from corn stover—the leaves and stalks left in fields after harvesting—has been funded by the U.S. Energy Department.
Underlining that advanced air mobility has become a driver for new technologies in aviation, Honeywell has introduced Anthem, its fifth generation of integrated flight deck, with electric air taxi developers Lilium and Vertical Aerospace as launch customers.
