Hydrogen passenger aviation only reaches commercial scale if three sequential gates all open: an operator-ready aircraft, a throughput-capable airport fuel network, and a fleet large enough for meaningful scheduled service.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority announced its latest Hydrogen Challenge in the same week as I published my updated assessment of hydrogen passenger aviation. The regulator is examining hydrogen-aircraft turnarounds at London City Airport, cryogenic hydrogen storage and airside supply, while its broader hydrogen aviation roadmap targets scaled operations for … [continued]
The proposal to review the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) comes at a pivotal moment for Europe’s climate, industrial and economic policy. Since its launch in 2005, the EU ETS has become the EU’s flagship climate instrument, helping to reduce emissions from the power sector, industry, aviation and maritime … [continued]
Vertical’s Farnborough flights demonstrated real engineering progress. Five years after listing, outside capital still funds the path toward certification and an unproven passenger market.
Vertical Aerospace’s July appearance at the Farnborough International Airshow was a real engineering milestone. The company publicly demonstrated piloted transition between vertical and wingborne flight, something a powered-lift aircraft has to do safely and repeatedly before certification can advance. Vertical then flew on successive days in front of a large … [continued]
For years, venture capitalists and tech bros have burned through billions of dollars promising us flying electric cars. We have all seen the slick CGI videos of battery-powered air taxis whisking executives over gridlocked highway traffic. Yet, while Silicon Valley was busy chasing vaporware, a quiet electric aviation revolution actually … [continued]
Heart Aerospace’s X1 represents the less glamorous but more consequential aviation transition: electrifying an existing market rather than inventing a new one.
Heart Aerospace’s X1 demonstrator flew for 27 minutes on August 12 from Plattsburgh International Airport, powered entirely by batteries. The aircraft has a 106-foot wingspan, weighed more than 25,000 pounds at takeoff and drew more than a megawatt at peak. Heart calls it the largest battery-electric aircraft ever flown. The … [continued]
SolarAnywhere® is often associated with utility-scale or distributed PV, but our solar irradiance data powers a lot more than solar plants. A great example: Piotr Lichota at the Warsaw University of Technology is using SolarAnywhere to figure out when to launch solar-assisted Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and how long they can realistically stay … [continued]
The long-held rule is a commonsense protection against sonic booms and unnecessary climate emissions. Washington, D.C. — Today, Earthjustice and Sierra Club filed comments urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) not to repeal its long-held ban on commercial supersonic flight over land. “The FAA’s proposal to allow supersonic flights over our communities … [continued]
Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft startup Joby is one of those startups that seems to have been around for ages, but it’s been hard to know if any of these eVTOL aircraft companies are going anywhere. We’re yet to find out if any of these eVTOL companies have … [continued]
SolarAnywhere® is often associated with utility-scale or distributed PV, but our solar irradiance data powers a lot more than solar plants. A great example: Piotr Lichota at the Warsaw University of Technology is using SolarAnywhere to figure out when to launch solar-assisted Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and how long they can realistically stay … [continued]
The #1 battery maker in the world, CATL, has developed a battery for use in electric aircraft — in particular, for passenger eVTOL aircraft (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft). The battery has now passed an important safety test. The company intentionally triggered two adjacent cells and that didn’t lead … [continued]
