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 →

Archer Aviation and Stellantis announced progress in their strategic manufacturing partnership at the 2023 Paris Air Show. (Earlier post.) With construction now well underway on the first high-volume eVTOL aircraft manufacturing facility located on an approximately 100-acre campus in Covington, Georgia, Stellantis recently increased its strategic shareholding through a series... Read more →

Rolls-Royce announced its new small gas turbine that has been specifically developed to power hybrid-electric flight is set to begin testing. The engine is part of a turbogenerator system that is being developed for the Advanced Air Mobility market. This includes electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) Aircraft for Urban... Read more →

MTU Aero Engines is developing fuel cell technology for aviation, initially targeting shorter commuter and regional flights. MTU’s Flying Fuel Cell (FFC) converts liquid hydrogen into electricity to power an electric motor driving the propeller. Among other things, we are forging ahead with the full electrification of the powertrain. We’ve... Read more →

Constellium SE and TARMAC Aerosave, a company dedicated to storage, maintenance and recycling of aicraft and engines (CFM56 & Leap), will explore the development of technologies and processes to recover aluminum from end-of-life aircraft, and reutilize it within the aerospace value chain, while maintaining material properties and performance. The footprint... Read more →

H2FLY (earlier post) announced the next generation of its proprietary fuel cell system H175—a high-performance and modular power unit designed to be used in commercial aircraft applications. The H175 program will provide a series of fuel cell systems that can be combined and upscaled to power hydrogen-electric aircraft in the... Read more →

Airbus Ventures has invested in Venus Aerospace, a Houston-based hypersonic flight startup seeking to enable cost-effective one-hour global transport. Venus has developed—as part of a technology portfolio aimed at producing its envisioned Stargazer hypersonic aircraft—a liquid-propellant rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) with a double-digit percentage increase in efficiency over standard... Read more →

JAL has signed an agreement with Shell Aviation which will see aircraft refueled in Los Angeles with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from 2025, supporting JAL’s ESG target of replacing 1% of its whole jet fuel amount with SAF in fiscal year 2025 set in its GX strategy. Under the agreement,... Read more →

Japan’s Nidec Corporation and Brazil’s Embraer agreed to establish a joint venture company, called Nidec Aerospace LLC, to develop electric propulsion systems for the aerospace sector. To be unveiled at the 54th biennial Paris Air Show this week, the JV aims to unlock new opportunities by providing an agnostic portfolio... Read more →

After three years of intensive studies covering the entire lifecycle of an all-electric aircraft, Tecnam is halting development of the all-electric P-Volt aircraft, mainly due to concerns about current battery technology. The company will continue to explore new emerging technologies. In 2021, Rolls-Royce, Tecnam and Widerøe announced a partnership to... Read more →

OXCCU, a company spun-out from the University of Oxford in 2021 that is focused on converting carbon dioxide and hydrogen into industrial and consumer products (earlier post), completed an £18-million (US$22.8 million) Series A financing round. The round was led by Clean Energy Ventures with participation from investors Aramco Ventures;... Read more →

Honeywell recently announced that bp selected Honeywell’s Ecofining technology to help support the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at five bp facilities across the globe. Honeywell UOP Ecofining technology will be installed at the following bp sites: Cherry Point refinery in Blaine, Washington; Rotterdam II refinery in Rotterdam, Netherlands;... Read more →

Honda Aircraft Company will commercialize the HondaJet 2600 Concept, an all-new light jet that was first introduced at the 2021 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE). The company also said it will target type certification in 2028 for the new light jet, which represents a new product line for... Read more →

NASA and Boeing announced Monday evening at a presentation at AIAA Aviation in San Diego that the aircraft produced through the agency’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project has been designated by the US Air Force as the X-66A. (Earlier post.) The new X-plane seeks to inform a potential new generation of... Read more →

A team of MIT engineers is developing a 1MW motor that could be a key stepping stone toward electrifying larger aircraft. The team has designed and tested the major components of the motor, and shown through detailed computations that the coupled components can work as a whole to generate one... Read more →

Archer Aviation and Stellantis N.V. will attend the 54th edition of the 2023 Paris Air Show, starting 19 June 2023, to share progress toward scaling manufacturing of Archer’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft as Archer prepares for planned commercialization in 2025. (Earlier post.) Archer’s Midnight aircraft will be the featured eVTOL aircraft... Read more →

Ahead of the Paris Air Show held in Le Bourget, TotalEnergies is doubling production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at Grandpuits, bringing the site’s annual production capacity to 285,000 tons—almost double the capacity announced in 2020. TotalEnergies’s SAF is produced from waste and residues from the circular economy (animal fats,... Read more →

Fuel cell systems company Advent Technologies Holdings signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Safran Power Units, a leader in auxiliary power systems and turbojet engines. Leveraging Advent’s proprietary Ion Pair Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) technology, and Safran Aerospace knowledge and capabilities, this new collaboration will seek to advance the... Read more →

Europe’s growing use of animal fats to power its cars and planes is becoming increasingly unsustainable, according to a new study by Cerulogy funded by European NGO Transport & Environment (T&E). The green group calls for greater transparency so that consumers know what is going into their tanks and fueling... Read more →

Natilus, a designer and developer of new autonomous blended-wing body (BWB) cargo aircraft, and ZeroAvia announced a strategic partnership jointly to develop hydrogen-electric engines for the Natilus Kona cargo aircraft. ZeroAvia’s ZA600 will be the sole hydrogen fuel cell powertrain offered for the novel Kona short-haul feeder UAV, with the... Read more →