American Airlines plans to buy 100 hydrogen electric engines from clean aviation company ZeroAvia to power some of its commercial planes. The deal also includes an investment by the airline of an undisclosed sum.
According to Axios, the engines will be used in the airline’s Bombardier CRJ700 jets, a 65-seat aircraft that’s used for regional flights. American has 140 of the jets in its fleet.
ZeroAvia announced in April that it would be selling components of its hydrogen fuel cell-powered airplane engines to other commercial companies. It shared the news at an event celebrating its new 136,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Everett, Wash. The plant will be used to develop the engine for the CRJ700 jets, according to Axios.
The company’s propulsion systems use hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, which in turn powers ZeroAvia’s electric motors to turn an aircraft’s propellers. The system produces water vapor as its emissions.
“In signing this purchase agreement and furthering its investment, American is supporting our mission of innovation for clean aircraft propulsion and it is a good signal that ZeroAvia is delivering on our technology roadmap,” said ZeroAvia CEO and founder Val Miftakhov in a statement.
ZeroAvia launched in 2017 and conducted its first test flight on a six-seat hydrogen-powered electric plane in 2020.
It’s currently pursuing certification for its ZA600 engine, which can power a 20-seat aircraft. The startup is also developing the ZA2000 engine for aircraft up to 90 seats.
ZeroAvia is based in California and the United Kingdom, but has a hub of operations in Washington state and a strong connection to the region.
Seattle’s Alaska Airlines provided the company with a retired Dash 8 Q400 regional turboprop that it’s retrofitting with its hydrogen-powered electric propulsion system. Alaska, Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund have invested in the company.
ZeroAvia’s announcement comes days after news broke that California-based Universal Hydrogen — which put a hybrid prototype for a hydrogen-fueled airplane into the air last year in Moses Lake, Wash. — has run out of money and is shutting down.
The clean aviation sector overall is facing some new headwinds.
The Biden administration has been a supporter of the hydrogen fuel sector, last year naming the Pacific Northwest as a one seven national hydrogen hubs that are each eligible for up to $1 billion in funding. But federal dollars for the clean burning fuel is uncertain given the potential for a second term for former President Donald Trump, who last week called Biden’s climate policies the “green new scam.”
Aviation is one of the more difficult industries to decarbonize. It contributes 2.5% of the greenhouse gases emitted annually, but that percentage is expected to increase as other sectors go low-carbon and air travel increases. While hydrogen electric systems provide cleaner flights, many in the field are counting on sustainable aviation fuels as a leading solution for air transportation.
In announcing the closure of Universal Hydrogen on LinkedIn, co-founder Jon Gordon passed the torch to others.
“Now, it’s up to ZeroAvia and Val Miftakhov, Airbus and Glenn Llewellyn, to bring hydrogen aviation to fruition,” Gordon said. “You can bet I am cheering them on. Our future may depend on it.”
