July/August 2020

n TRANSPORTATION UK’s first commercial- scale electric plane takes to the skies Earlier this summer, the UK’s first commercial-scale electrically powered aircraft completed several test flights in Bedfordshire. If all goes to plan, this could lead to fuel-cell-powered regional aircraft, capable of carrying up to 20 passengers over distances of up to 800km, entering service as soon as 2023. ƐĚƌĂĚŶĂƚƐ hŽƚĚĞŶŐŝƐĞͻ hĞƌƵƚĐĂĨƵŶĂŵ ĞĐǁŽŶĞƌĂdͻ ϱϴϬϱ>hĚŶĂϭ - ϱϴϬϱ> ƐƌĞŵƌŽĨƐŶĂƌƚĚĞƚƐŝ>> ĚŶĂŶŐŝƐĞĚŽƚĚĞĮƟƌ Ϯ - d Ĩ ƚƚůŝƵď - ŵŽƚƐƵͻ ŶƵŽƌĂŶƌƵƚƚƐĂ&ͻ ĚĞƌƵƚĐĂĨƵŶĂDͻ ŬϱŽƚ ϱϮͻ s s ƌŝƵƋĞƌĐĮŝĐĞƉƐƌƵŽLJŽ Ě <hĞŚƚŶŝ ŚƉϭ ƐƚŶĞŵĞ ƚĞůƉŵŽĐŶ/͘͘͘ ŝƵƋΘ ŶƌĞƚƐĂ ǁǁǁ ΛƐĞůĂƐ ϮϭϬ͗ůĞd ƌĞǁŽƉĨŽůŽƌƚŶŽĐĞ Ěƚ>ƚŶĞŵƉ ƐƌĞŵƌŽƐŶĂƌ ŬƵ͘ŽĐ͘Ğƚ Ğ͘ ŬƵ͘ŽĐ͘ĞƚĞ ϯϯϬϴϴϯϰϴ T he first-ever flights in the UK by an commercial-scale electrically- powered aircraft took place recently at Cranfield airport in Bedfordshire. he HyFlyer aircraft, based on a six-seater Piper M-class plane retrofitted with a 300kW battery electric power system, is thought to be Europe's largest zero-emission aircraft currently flying. Partly funded the UK government’s Innovate UK and the Aerospace Research & Technology programme led by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), Project HyFlyer aims to decarbonise small, medium- range propellor aircraft by demonstrating how electric powertrain technologies can replace conventional engines. Initially, the HyFlyer aircraft’s electric motors are being powered by batteries, but the aim is to convert the plane to hydrogen fuel cells capable of powering 250-300 nautical mile (460-555km) flights to and from the Orkney Islands. Half the cost The project is being driven by the Californian zero-emissions aviation company ZeroAvia, which has set up a UK operation as part of the project. It hopes to start selling fuel-cell- powered regional aircraft capable of carrying up to 20 passengers over distances of up to 800km as soon as 2023. It is aiming to deliver the same performance as a conventional aircraft, but with no carbon emissions and at around half of the operating costs. “Our project goal of 300 nautical miles is equivalent to the distance from London to Edinburgh and will prove that zero-emission aviation, powered by hydrogen, can play a key role within the UK and other countries’ transport strategies – enabling net-zero targets to be met and improving productivity and regional prosperity,”says ZeroAvia’s founder and CEO, Valery Miftakhov. By the end of the decade, ZeroAvia hopes