British-American startup ZeroAvia, which is engaged in hydrogen and electric aviation, announced
Test flight of the upgraded Dornier 228. Video: ZeroAvia
Dornier 228 is one of the classic twin-engineaircraft for local aviation. They were used in different countries and were produced by the German company Dornier GmbH from 1981 to 1998. For the test flight, ZeroAvia upgraded this aircraft, replacing one of the two engines with a hydrogen-electric one.
In the test configuration, the hydrogen-electricthe powertrain consists of two fuel cell stacks with lithium-ion battery packs to provide peak power support during takeoff. Hydrogen tanks and fuel cell power generation systems in the test design were placed instead of seats inside the cabin to make them easier to control.
Upgraded aircraft Dornier 228. Photo: ZeroAvia
For a commercial model, all engine elementswill be taken outside the cabin. ZeroAvia says it plans to complete the flight-ready aircraft by the end of 2023. If everything goes according to plan, then by 2025 this 600 kW power plant will be fully certified and aircraft with a capacity of 9 to 19 seats will be able to operate commercial flights.
According to the company, the upgraded aircraftwill provide a flight range of about 556 km. This is less than the standard carbon-fueled Dornier 228 (1130 km), but exceeds the estimates of competing zero-emission models. For example, the Swedish Heart Aerospace was developing a 19-seat hydrogen model with a range of only 400 km.
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Cover: Hydrogen-powered Dornier 228. Photo: ZeroAvia