ADM and Syngenta Group, one of the world’s biggest agricultural technology companies, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate in scaling research and commercialization of low carbon-intensity next-generation oilseeds and improved varieties to help meet skyrocketing demand for biofuels and other sustainably-sourced products. The MoU envisions a collaboration in... Read more →

BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions (ECMS) and ZeroAvia signed an agreement for the supply of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) and to collaborate on research on next generation MEAs for ZeroAvia’s high temperature proton exchange membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cell stacks for aviation. The companies will work together to accelerate the... Read more →

A new Rolls-Royce small gas turbine that has been specifically developed to power hybrid-electric flight has successfully completed its first fuel burn. (Earlier post.) The engine has been designed using novel combustion technology to produce ultra-low emissions; this significant achievement confirms the effectiveness of the compact, power-dense turbine that will... Read more →

Neste has expanded its capability to supply renewable fuels to customers on the West Coast of the United States in cooperation with Vopak, a leading energy industry infrastructure provider. Neste commissioned terminal capacity at Vopak’s Los Angeles terminal in California for storing Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Neste... Read more →

Rolls-Royce has achieved a key milestone in its hydrogen combustion engine research project. Both Rolls-Royce and its partner easyJet are committed to being at the forefront of the development of hydrogen combustion engine technology capable of powering a range of aircraft, including those in the narrow-body market segment, from the... Read more →

Airbus has become a strategic partner with DG Fuels (DGF), an emerging producer of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). DGF’s fuel production system is based entirely on cellulosic waste products, such as wood waste from the logging industry, and renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power. The partnership with... Read more →

Cemvita Corporation announced an offtake arrangement with United Airlines for up to 1 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Cemvita’s first full-scale SAF plant. Under the agreement, signed by Cemvita and United Airlines, Cemvita will supply United Airlines up to 50 million gallons annually for 20 years of... Read more →

South Korea’s leading chemicals producer LG Chem and Italian energy group Eni Sustainable Mobility are exploring the possibility of developing and operating a new biorefinery at LG Chem’s Daesan chemical complex, 80 kilometers southwest of Seoul, South Korea. Together, the companies are examining the technical and economic feasibilities for the... Read more →

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) embarked on a year-long collaboration with Honeywell Aerospace in 2023 to prototype and support the commercialization of a novel cartridge-based hydrogen fuel storage solution for UAVs. The project, Fuel Additives for Solid Hydrogen (FLASH) Carriers in Electric Aviation, is a new hydrogen carrier technology... Read more →

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) approved a new law to increase the uptake of sustainable fuels, such as advanced biofuels or hydrogen, in the aviation sector. The RefuelEU aviation rules are part of the “Fit for 55 package”, the EU’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least... Read more →

Aemetis, a renewable natural gas and renewable fuels company focused on negative carbon intensity products, received a Use Permit from the City of Riverbank to build a 90 million gallon per year sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel plant at the 125-acre Riverbank Industrial Complex in Riverbank, California. The Riverbank... Read more →

Phil Ansell, an aerospace engineer at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, modeled the life cycle carbon dioxide equivalent emissions of liquid hydrogen production required to meet the fuel needs of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) with today’s electric grid mix. His analysis found that if electrolyzed hydrogen were to be... Read more →

A group of leading companies in the UK aviation and renewable energy sectors including easyJet, Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Ørsted, GKN Aerospace and Bristol Airport, have established the Hydrogen in Aviation (HIA) alliance to accelerate the delivery of zero-carbon aviation. HIA will work to ensure the UK capitalizes on the huge opportunity... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $30 million in funding (DE-FOA-0003162) to develop next-generation, high-energy storage solutions to help accelerate the electrification of the aviation, railroad, and maritime transportation sectors. Transportation is responsible for approximately 29% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually in the United States.... Read more →

A team from Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ (Leipzig, Germany) has shown the scale-up of the production of aviation drop-in fuel-like mixtures (mainly n-decane) that are obtained by Kolbe electrolysis of medium-chain carboxylic acids (n-hexanoic acid), which can be derived from biomass. A paper on their work appears in... Read more →

The US Department of Energy announced $10 million in funding for five projects working on new technologies and tools to reduce the environmental impact of aviation. (Earlier post.) Condensation trails—commonly known as contrails—occur when aircraft exhaust water mixes with cold, surrounding humid air at high altitude. Under certain specific atmospheric... Read more →

GKN Aerospace, Marshall, and Parker Aerospace will collaborate under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore liquid hydrogen fuel system solutions for the next generation of zero-emission aircraft. Hydrogen propulsion, whether through fuel cells or combustion, is a pathway for the aviation industry to achieve its ambitious goal of net-zero... Read more →

ZeroAvia signed a partnership agreement with Masdar, one of the world’s leading clean energy companies, to explore hydrogen production and supply at key locations. The partnership with the UAE’s flagship renewable energy company, Masdar, will focus initially on projects in North America and Europe, while also looking at the opportunity... Read more →

The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is awarding JetZero $230 million to support the next phase of the company’s blended wing body (BWB) full-scale demonstrator aircraft. The contract is the result of a collaborative effort between the US Air Force and the DIU, with assistance from DoD’s... Read more →

The production of renewable diesel at Neste’s Singapore refinery expansion has been restarted in early August, according to the company’s plans. The production line at the expanded part of the refinery was shut down in June for unexpected equipment repairs. The ramp-up of the production at the expanded part of... Read more →

ZeroAvia has developed a high-performance compressor for fuel cell-based aviation propulsion systems, including the company’s first ZA600 hydrogen-electric powertrain. (Earlier post.) Hydrogen fuel cells may offer the ability to deliver true zero-emission flight by delivering electrification, but one key challenge is delivering the high flow of oxygen for the chemical... Read more →

Archer Aviation landed a $215-million equity investment from industry leaders Stellantis, Boeing and United Airlines, as well as other financial institutions, including ARK Invest, increasing the company’s total funding to more than $1.1 billion to date. This investment round includes an acceleration of $70 million from Stellantis under the strategic... Read more →

KULR Technology Group signed an agreement with a world leading provider of drone-powered package delivery services. Pursuant to the agreement, KULR will leverage its KULR ONE Design Solutions (K1-DS) platform and proprietary technology for the development of high-capacity lithium battery packs for use in last-mile delivery—the most expensive and time-consuming... Read more →

Israel-based ParaZero Technologies Ltd., an aerospace company focused on drone safety systems for commercial drones and urban air mobility aircraft, has received a second order for its custom safety system for drones by one of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers. The repeat order follows an agreement previously signed with the... Read more →

Gevo announced that its Net-Zero 1 ethanol-to-jet project has been invited by the US Department of Energy to the due diligence and term sheet negotiation phase for a $950-million loan guarantee under the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program. The invitation was based on the DOE’s determination that Gevo’s Net-Zero... Read more →

Boeing subsidiary Wisk Aero recently completed the public demonstration flight of a fully autonomous, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), fixed-wing air taxi. The milestone flight, which took place at EAA AirVenture, also marked the company’s first public demonstration of its 5th Generation autonomous, eVTOL technology demonstrator (Cora). Wisk completed... Read more →

UK-based engineering specialist Equipmake provided an advanced electric propulsion unit (EPU) for Vertical Aerospace’s prototype eVTOL aircraft. Recently completing the first full-scale untethered eVTOL flights in the UK, the VX4 prototype features a totally bespoke EPU from Equipmake, combining a lightweight, power-dense electric motor with a high-performance inverter, designed, developed... Read more →

Amprius Technologies, a developer of next-generation lithium-ion batteries with its Silicon Anode Platform, unveiled its newest ultra-high-power-high-energy lithium-ion battery. Leveraging the company’s advanced material system capability, the cell achieves a discharge rate of 10C while delivering 400 Wh/kg energy density, a major advancement for electric aviation encompassing both crewed and... Read more →

Archer Aviation, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft company, has significantly expanded its partnership with the US Department of Defense (DoD) by signing new contracts with the US Air Force with a total value of up to $142 million. This new execution phase of the partnership includes the... Read more →

DG Fuels, LLC (DGF), a developer of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facilities (earlier post), announced the successful closing of investment transactions with two Japanese companies. With the investments in DGF made by aviner & co., inc., Chishima Real Estate Co., Ltd. and an undisclosed investor, DGF has now exceeded its... Read more →

Lockheed Martin won a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and demonstrate a nuclear-powered spacecraft under a project called Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO). The project will represent a rapid advancement in propulsion technology to benefit exploration and national defense. Cislunar refers to... Read more →

Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. reported that ramp-up of unit operations was completed during the second quarter, making its Montana Renewables subsidiary the largest producer of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in North America (approximately 30 million gallons per year). The Montana Renewables team delivered on our first mover strategy and... Read more →

Gevo, Inc. has entered into a Master Services Agreement (MSA) with a subsidiary of McDermott International, Ltd to provide front end engineering and early planning services for Gevo’s development of multiple sustainable aviation fuel facilities in North America. The first facility, Net-Zero 1, is expected to be located near Lake... Read more →

Amprius Technologies announced that its high-density silicon anode batteries played a significant role in powering BAE Systems first successful stratospheric flight trial. PHASA-35, the High-Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) designed by BAE Systems’ subsidiary Prismatic Ltd., is planned to operate above the weather and conventional air traffic.... Read more →

PLANA, a developer of hybrid advanced air mobility (AAM) eVTOL aircraft, signed a letter of intent (LOI) and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hi-Air, a South Korean commercial air carrier, to supply 30 AAM aircraft. Under the LOI, PLANA will supply its hybrid-electric AAM aircraft, CP-01, to Hi-Air from... Read more →

Shell Aviation has introduced a new lifecycle sustainability approach for its AeroShell aviation lubricants to avoid, reduce and then compensate for lifecycle carbon emissions, improving aircraft performance while helping customers meet their net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) or carbon emissions ambitions. In alignment with Shell’s target to become a net zero-emissions... Read more →

Uniper and Sasol ecoFT (a division of Sasol) will enter the next phase of the SkyFuelH2 project for production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Långsele, Sollefteå, Sweden. The plant is subject to a final investment decision in the future. Uniper and Sasol ecoFT have jointly applied for funding from... Read more →

Indian Oil Corporation and Praj Industries signed a term sheet to advance plans to strengthen biofuels production capacities in India. Various biofuels covered under this MoU include Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), ethanol, compressed bio-gas (CBG), biodiesel and bio-bitumen among others. Earlier in October 2021, both the companies had entered into... Read more →

MagLev Aero, which recently emerged from stealth mode with its proprietary MagLev HyperDrive aero propulsion platform for eVTOL aircraft, has selected GE Additive’s AddWorks consultancy team to support the development of additive technologies and materials for the platform. MagLev Aero’s innovation enables a large rim-driven circular rotor that maximizes efficiency... Read more →

LanzaJet and Airbus entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to address the needs of aviation through the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The MOU establishes a relationship between LanzaJet and Airbus to advance the building of SAF facilities which will use the LanzaJet Process, a proven and proprietary... Read more →

Honda Aircraft Company announced its first Certified Pre-Owned program (CPO), providing an exclusive and alternative pathway to owning a HondaJet with a guarantee of quality and support. Being the sole CPO choice in its class, each CPO HondaJet undergoes selection, inspection and expert maintenance processes to ensure it meets Honda’s... Read more →

Element 1 Corporation (e1) and NEXA Capital Partners LLC (NEXA) formed a new joint venture named Hydrogen Aviation Development Company (HADC or the JV). HADC is a special purpose energy company that will commercialize e1’s proprietary methanol-to-hydrogen generation technology for fuel cell applications within the aerospace sector including: Grid independent... Read more →

Topsoe will lead the FrontFuel project to develop highly efficient Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production from CO2, water, and renewable electricity. Topsoe will receive a 26.9 million DKK (US$4 million) grant from Denmark’s EUDP (Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program) to fund the project. The FrontFuel project will use carbon... Read more →

Dovetail Electric Aviation announced that Hyundai Motor Group’s HTWO will supply a hydrogen fuel cell system for electric aviation powertrain trials. HTWO is the fuel cell system-based hydrogen business brand of Hyundai Motor Group. Rex, Australia’s largest independent regional and domestic airline, took a 20% stake in Dovetail in April,... Read more →

Sasol, the global chemicals and energy company, and Topsoe, a global leader in carbon emission reduction technologies, signed an agreement to establish a 50/50 joint venture (subject to approval by relevant authorities), solidifying their commitment to produce sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and contribute to global efforts in combating climate change... Read more →

At the Paris Air Show, Safran Electronics & Defense and Archer Aviation shared details of their ongoing collaboration on avionics technology, which kicked off back in 2021. This collaboration is focused on delivering solutions to Archer that utilize Safran Electronics & Defense’s industry-leading components that have a proven track record... Read more →

ZeroAvia announced that it has identified clear applications for hydrogen-electric, zero-emission propulsion for regional jet aircraft. As part of the initial technical study conducted alongside Type Certificate holder MHIRJ over the last year, an initial entry-point for a CRJ 700 retrofit with ZeroAvia’s ZA 2000RJ powertrain—confirming maximum takeoff weight, center... Read more →

Airbus and STMicroelectronics signed an agreement to cooperate on power electronics Research & Development to support more efficient and lighter power electronics, essential for future hybrid-powered aircraft and full-electric urban air vehicles. The collaboration builds on evaluations already conducted by both companies to explore the benefits of wide bandgap semiconductor... Read more →

Airbus UpNext has launched a new demonstrator programme to explore, on the ground and in flight, a new architecture for the generation of non propulsive energy through the use of hydrogen fuel cells. On conventional airliners, the APU (Auxiliary Power Unit), a small additional engine that runs on traditional jet... Read more →

MTU Aero Engines and aerospace company MT Aerospace are jointly developing a complete liquid hydrogen fuel system for commercial aviation. The partners announced the project today at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget. The first application will be MTU’s Flying Fuel Cell. (Earlier post.) The two companies began jointly... Read more →