The long wait for revolutionary batteries in electric aircraft

revolutionary batteries

The aviation industry stands at a technological crossroads where ambitious sustainability goals collide with stubborn physical limitations.

Geopolitical race distorts eVTOL innovation

China is leading the development of eVTOL vehicles / Photo: AFP

The race for dominance in the eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) market has ignited a global competition, with major powers like the United States, China, South Korea, and the European Union vying for technological supremacy.

What role could hydrogen-based propulsion systems play in EVTOL technology in the future?

hydrogen fuel

Hydrogen-based propulsion systems, leveraging hydrogen fuel cells or combustion, are emerging as a potential solution to address these constraints.

How viable is hydrogen propulsion for aviation ?

hydrogen

Imagine boarding a plane that hums quietly into the sky, leaving nothing behind but a faint trail of water vapor. No choking fumes, no guilt about your carbon footprint just a smooth, clean ride. That’s the promise of hydrogen propulsion, a technology that’s been buzzing around the aviation world like a persistent mosquito. But as we sit here in March 2025, sipping our coffee and staring at a world desperate to decarbonize, the question looms large: can hydrogen really take flight, or is it just a shiny dream dangling out of reach?

A startup developing hydrogen propulsion has gone bankrupt

hidrogen-dash-8

The board of directors of Universal Hydrogen has decided to liquidate the company after failing to secure additional funding and unsuccessful attempts to sell the business.

Mitsubishi and Zero Avia develop hydrogen propulsion for regional models

The two companies are jointly developing a zero-emission engine, which could even be retrofitted.
The project will benefit from the achievements in fuel cells of ZeroAvia, the UK-US leader in hydrogen propulsion, and the Japanese subsidiary of Mitsubishi, the largest maintenance organisation in the CRJ family, will share its expertise in aircraft design, certification and customer support.