Future Aircrafts— Hydrogen Or Electric?

Racing to meet tough emission standards for the next decade, aircraft manufacturers are experimenting with a variety of technologies for a reduced carbon footprint and improved fuel burn .

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Reducing emissions that leads to costly taxes and restrictions plus a reduction in operating costs for airlines will the key drivers as OEMs look at new technology options for future aircraft. This is the only that most manufacturers are agreed upon.

That apart there is a total lack of consensus on what should be the roadmap. European giant Airbus is clear that hybrid-electric propulsion is totally ill-suited for large aircraft. They believe that Hydrogen engines is the way—they reduce the environmental footprint, provide huge economic savings, and do not disrupt dramatically the present aviation supply chain.

But these are not just thoughts that reverberate within the Airbus shopfloor. The company has formally called on government and regulators and aviation authorities to create the blueprint and the necessary infrastructure to facilities companies take the first step in this direction. Still, Airbus has called on governments and aviation authorities to plan the first steps to provide the necessary infrastructure to make hydrogenpowered planes viable.

In fact, in a release Airbus said: “we have the ambition to develop the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft by 2035. Hydrogen propulsion will help us to deliver on this ambition. Our ZEROe concept aircraft enable us to explore a variety of configurations and hydrogen technologies that will shape the development of our future zero-emission aircraft.”