The development of carbon-free hydrogen fuel is a “priority development axis”: CEO of Airbus
Paris:
Airbus aims to bring the world‘s first commercial hydrogen aircraft into service by 2035, the boss of the European aircraft manufacturer said in a speech released on Monday.
Hydrogen is a clean fuel, emitting only vapor, but its green character depends on the carbon footprint of the fuels used to produce it.
France and other European countries are investing billions of euros in the development of green hydrogen, the highly polluting transport industry being a privileged area for its intended use.
“Our ambition is to become the first aircraft manufacturer to put such an aircraft into service in 2035,” Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury told Le Parisien newspaper.
The development of carbon-free hydrogen fuel is a “priority development axis” for Airbus, he declared.
The manufacturer is already using hydrogen technology to power its satellites and the Ariane rocket.
Developing an aircraft that uses carbon-free fuel would not require “any major technological advancement,” Faury said.
The production technology would still need around five years to mature, however, and suppliers and industrial sites would need another two to be ready, he said.
“So we could implement the program around 2028,” he said.
Aviation generates up to 3% of global emissions of carbon dioxide, the main driver of climate change.
The use of hydrogen would require major design changes for aircraft, as the fuel requires approximately four times the storage space of kerosene for the same energy content.
The French government has allocated 1.5 billion euros ($ 1.75 billion) to the development of low-carbon aircraft as part of a plan to support the aviation sector, which has been brought to its knees by the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
In total, France plans to invest seven billion euros in the development of hydrogen solutions, neighboring Germany spending nine billion.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
