{"id":100365,"date":"2024-01-20T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-20T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/?post_type=ftm_article&p=100365"},"modified":"2024-01-19T09:15:29","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T14:15:29","slug":"hydrogen-vtol","status":"publish","type":"ftm_article","link":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/transportation\/hydrogen-vtol","title":{"rendered":"Swiss startup unveils the world\u2019s first hydrogen VTOL jet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Swiss startup Sirius Aviation has unveiled<\/a> what it says is the world\u2019s first hydrogen VTOL (vertical take off and landing) aircraft \u2014 and an ambitious plan to have it in the air by 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge:<\/strong> Electric VTOLs (eVTOLs) are widely promoted as the next big thing in aviation, and dozens of companies developing their own versions of the vehicles \u2014 fleets of flying electric taxis planned to zip around cities and over traffic jams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like helicopters, eVTOLs<\/a> can lift off and land without a runway, which means they can operate without airports or runways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike <\/em>helicopters, eVTOLs are powered by electricity \u2014 this makes them quieter and more climate friendly, but the weight and limited energy density of their batteries means they also can\u2019t fly as far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sirius's
Sirius Aviation<\/figcaption><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hydrogen VTOL<\/strong>:<\/strong> In an attempt to set itself apart from the pack, Sirius has designed its emissions-free VTOL, the Sirius Jet, to be powered by liquid hydrogen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The jet\u2019s propulsion system combines this hydrogen with oxygen, pulled in from the outside air, to generate the electricity needed to power it \u2014 the only byproduct of this process is water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The details:<\/strong> Sirius has unveiled two versions of its hydrogen VTOL \u2014 the Sirius Millennium Jet and the Sirius Business Jet \u2014 which it designed in collaboration with BMW’s Designworks and Sauber Group, an engineering company known for its Formula 1 cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Millennium has room for five passengers and a pilot, and its flight range of 650 miles is more than enough to get you from Washington, DC to Chicago. The Sirius Business Jet, meanwhile, has room for three passengers and a pilot and a range of 1,150 miles \u2014 that\u2019s enough for a trip between New York and Miami. Both have a cruise speed of 323 mph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/vimeo.com\/eschercapital\/siriusjet\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Because the energy density of the liquid hydrogen system is greater than that of lithium-ion batteries, Sirius\u2019 range and speed is much greater than that of comparable eVTOLs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toyota-backed Joby Aviation\u2019s in-development eVTOL<\/a>, for example, has a range of 150 miles and a top speed of 200 mph. An eVTOL made by Archer Aviation<\/a> \u2014 a partner of United Airlines<\/a> \u2014 maxes out at 100 miles and 150 mph. Both carry four passengers and a pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cold water:<\/strong> The big difference between Sirius\u2019s hydrogen VTOL and those eVTOLs is that they\u2019ve actually proven capable of flight \u2014 Joby\u2019s prototype has racked up nearly 25,000 miles<\/a> in the air, in fact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FAA has also certified at least one eVTOL and one hydrogen plane as \u201cairworthy\u201d \u2014 Alef Aeronautics\u2019 Armada Model Zero<\/a> and Universal Hydrogen\u2019s Dash 8-300<\/a>, respectively \u2014 but since Sirius\u2019 hydrogen VTOL is the first aircraft of its kind, there\u2019s no precedent for certification. That could potentially make it more time-consuming to get through the regulatory process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liquid hydrogen is also a quite novel fuel source for aircraft. Most in-development hydrogen planes<\/a> store the fuel in a gaseous form \u2014 the first piloted flight of a plane fueled by liquid<\/em> hydrogen<\/a> only just took place, in September 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We have funds, but not enough to do this fast.”<\/p>Alexey Popov<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead: <\/strong>Despite those challenges, Sirius has laid out an incredibly ambitious timeline for its jets, with the first test flights planned for 2025, followed by certification in 2026 and the launch of commercial services in 2028. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sirius\u2019 ability to secure funding will likely determine whether it has any chance of hitting those milestones \u2014 the startup has been funded internally to date, but is now looking for outside investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have funds, but not enough to do this fast,\u201d CEO Alexey Popov told Aviation Week<\/a>. \u201cAnd the market is hot, so we want to move fast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’d love to hear from you! If you have a comment about this article or if you have a tip for a future Freethink story, please email us at <\/em>tips@freethink.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Swiss startup Sirius Aviation has unveiled a hydrogen VTOL it says could carry three passengers more than 1,000 miles without refueling. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":100388,"template":"","ftm_taxonomy_fields":[67,128],"ftm_taxonomy_challenges":[],"ftm_taxonomy_statuses":[],"ftm_taxonomy_hidden_tags":[],"class_list":["post-100365","ftm_article","type-ftm_article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","ftm_taxonomy_fields-clean-energy","ftm_taxonomy_fields-transportation"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nSwiss startup unveils the world\u2019s first hydrogen VTOL jet<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Swiss startup Sirius Aviation has unveiled a hydrogen VTOL it says could carry three passengers more than 1,000 miles without refueling.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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