Glory Days Of Amphibious Aircraft Return, Hydrogen Fuel Cell Edition
Sea planes are having a moment. Also known as amphibious aircraft, the chunky flying boats were a staple of early 20th century flight. The post-World War II airline boom rendered them practically obsolete when massive swaths of concrete were laid down to accommodate speedy jet landings on, well, land. Now they’re coming back, with an electric, zero emission hydrogen fuel cell twist.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells For Zero Emission Amphibious Aircraft
Amphibious aircraft have seen a comeback partly as a means of avoiding crowded airports, and partly on account of rising tensions between Taiwan and China. The Aviation Industry Corporation of China has been working on a large-scale amphibious aircraft since 2017 and it finally went into production this summer, reportedly to be used for firefighting and maritime search and rescue.
“It is thought that any hypothetical conflict between China and the US and its allies in the region would involve a strong aeronaval component,” observed Aerotime Hub reporter Miquel Ros earlier this month.
Ros cited a new amphibious aircraft program under the wing of DARPA, the Department of Defense’s office for funding high risk, high reward projects. Called “Liberty Lifter Seaplane Wing-in-Ground Effect,” the program launched in 2023 with two teams at work. One dropped out, leaving the Boeing firm Aurora Flight Sciences still working to demonstrate affordable but “revolutionary” heavy-air-lift capability at sea (wing-in-ground refers to flight over water).
No word yet on what kind of fuel system the new seaplane will deploy. In the meantime, the Swiss firm Jekta is firmly committed to zero emission electric flight for its new seaplane, deploying hydrogen fuel cells, batteries, or both, as the case may be.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Flight Is Coming
Whether powered by fuel cells or batteries, electric aircraft have been a long time coming. CleanTechnica has been tracking both sides of the propulsion aisle, so it’s no surprise to see Jekta tap the US-UK fuel cell aircraft firm ZeroAvia to provide the power system for a variant of its new PHA-ZE 100 seaplane (see more ZeroAvia background here).
“In Jekta we’ve looked back to the golden age of amphibious aircraft to create a future that shines,” Jekta says of itself. The company is aiming its new 19-seat passenger aircraft at established and new regional markets.
On its part, ZeroAvia is confident that its zero emission technology is up to snuff. “Powered by ZeroAvia’s fuel cell PGS, it is anticipated the PHA-ZE 100 will achieve a range of up to 500 or 600km and increase the payload by up to one tonne, adding even more capability to the airframe,” the company explained in a press release earlier this week.
Jekta has expressed a desire to beat the competition on cost, and ZeroAvia has that angle covered as well. “Operating and maintenance costs can also be lowered with a hydrogen fuel system supporting a life of up to 20,000 hours,” the company states.
Batteries Vs. Fuel Cells? It Depends!
For the record, Jekta is not giving up on battery-electric flight. The company anticipates that a battery-electric version of its amphibious aircraft will be more economical for shorter-haul operations. However, Jetka also states that the fuel cell system “promises a significant increase in the range of our PHA-ZE 100, which will suit operators serving longer regional routes.”
For that matter, batteries will play a role in the hydrogen fuel cell variant. “The PHA-ZE 100’s initial flight endurance on battery power is projected at one hour, with a 30-minute reserve, powered by electric motors supplied with energy from batteries or hydrogen fuel cells,” Jetka explains.
“The PHA-ZE 100 will operate from coastal waters in waves up to 1.2m high, lakes, waterways, and runways, the latter using its standard retractable wheeled landing gear,” the company adds.
What’s Up With Hydrogen Fuel Cell Flight?
The new collaboration with Jekta is just one news item ZeroAvia dropped on the occasion of the Farnborough Airshow in Hampshire, UK. The high profile showcase is considered second only to the Paris Air Show in terms of reaching eyes and ears.
On July 23, ZeroAvia announced an award of £10.5 million from the UK government, towards the development of a high temperature fuel cell systems that can be deployed on narrow-body jets, meaning single-aisle aircraft.
Partners in the grant include the University of Kent, which is tasked with validating the high temperature fuel cell systems. Another partner, Coventry University, will take care of stack-level testing. A third partner, the University of Sheffield, has been recruited to assess manufacturability and build pilot lines.
In other news, ZeroAvia also let word slip that the firm ASL Aviation Holdings is on board to buy up to 20 hydrogen fuel cell engines to retrofit its regional aircraft for zero emission flight.
Cleanup On Aisle Hydrogen
If you’re wondering where all the hydrogen will come from, that’s a good question. The global hydrogen market depends primarily on extraction from natural gas, with coal also playing a lesser role.
Prying hydrogen loose from the grip of fossil fuels is a monumental task, but a market for green hydrogen, sourced from plain water, is beginning to emerge. The game-changer is low cost renewable energy, which has laid the groundwork for using electrolysis systems to jolt hydrogen loose from water (see more green hydrogen background here).
ZeroAvia has that base covered as well. CleanTechnica took note of the company’s efforts in support of the green hydrogen industry back in 2022. One persistent issue is cost. Technology improvements are bringing the cost of green hydrogen closer to its fossil-sourced counterparts, and ZeroAvia aims to accelerate the trend with new software aimed at drawing excess, lower-cost renewable energy from the grid. In yet another example of batteries and fuel cells coexisting, the extra kilowatts can be used directly to produce green hydrogen, or stored in batteries for later deployment.
Onward & Upward For Amphibious Aircraft, Fuel Cells Or Not
Circling back around to the zero emission seaplane field, another firm to keep an eye on is the US company Regent, which comes under the venture arm of Lockheed Martin.
Among the advantages of amphibious aircraft cited by Regent is the somewhat alarming prospect of “no airport security.” The company’s electric seagliders are also relatively speedy, cruising at 180 mph.
Regent is taking the flying boat concept to the next level. “Seagliders are a novel type of maritime vessel that operate a few meters above the water’s surface, combining the higher speeds of a light aircraft with the low operating costs of a maritime vessel,” the company explains.
If you’re thinking hydrofoil technology is in play, that’s a good guess. Plans for this year include the introduction of a 12-passenger prototype, so keep your eyes open for that.
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Photo (cropped): The glory days of fabulous amphibious aircraft are coming back, now with zero emission hydrogen fuel cells (courtesy of Jetka).
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