Wright Electric has been awarded a contract from the US Air Force to develop high power output rechargeable batteries. Wright Electric was founded in 2016 to build electric airplanes with the goal of reducing the climate impact of the aerospace industry. The company is developing ultra-lightweight motors and batteries for... Read more →
AutoFlight and leading battery developer CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited) announced an exclusive strategic investment and cooperation agreement, valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, bringing together pioneers in eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) and battery technology in a unique partnership. CATL’s exclusive strategic investment in AutoFlight... Read more →
The “Climate Impulse” project aims to showcase how efficient solutions can set the world on a sustainable course. As part of this project, high-tech engineering specialist 49SUD is responsible for the design and manufacture of an aircraft, which—powered by green hydrogen—is set to circumnavigate the globe in a historic maiden... Read more →
Sora Fuel, a startup producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using only water, air and renewable energy, raised an oversubscribed $6 million seed round. The Engine Ventures led the round, with Wireframe Ventures and others participating. The funding will be used to expand Sora Fuel’s Boston-based team, develop commercialization partnerships and... Read more →
Neste will provide up to 1 million gallons (3,000 metric tons) of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel to United Airlines for use at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in the US through the end of 2024. This expansion of the existing partnership between the two companies enables United to become... Read more →
Metafuels and PSI, the developers of a technology for sustainable aviation fuel compatible with existing aircraft, announced a CHF 4.4-million funding grant from the Swiss Government’s Federal Office of Energy to support the implementation and operation of a pilot facility based on Metafuels’ sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF) technology (earlier post)—aerobrew—which... Read more →
Ecojet, the world’s first electric, commercial airline, has signed an agreement to purchase 22 ZA2000 hydrogen-electric engines from ZeroAvia, with options for a further 40 engines. The ZA2000 is a 2-5MW modular hydrogen-electric powertrain for up to 80 seat regional turboprops. Fueled by liquid hydrogen tanks, the powertrain is capable... Read more →
Firefly Green Fuels and Synagro Technologies, Inc. have partnered to bring Firefly’s novel fuel-production techniques to the American market. Synagro, a provider of sustainable solutions for biosolids, organics and residuals, has agreed to be the exclusive supplier of the biosolids feedstock used in Firefly’s innovative process. Firefly has developed a... Read more →
ZeroAvia and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will work towards a demonstration flight using ZeroAvia’s ZA2000 zero-emission, hydrogen-electric engines for large regional turboprop. Hydrogen-electric engines use hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, which is then used to power electric motors to turn the aircraft’s propellers. The only emission is low-temperature... Read more →
Saudia Group and Lilium, a leading electric aircraft manufacturer and pioneer in Regional Air Mobility (RAM), signed a binding sales agreement for 50 Lilium Jets, with options for the purchase of 50 more. This sales agreement, which follows the Memorandum of Understanding between Saudia Group and Lilium signed in October... Read more →
GKN Aerospace has launched H2FlyGHT, a £44-million project to develop a 2-megawatt (MW) cryogenic hydrogen-electric propulsion system, setting new standards for the future generation of larger sustainable aircraft. Building on the successes of the H2GEAR project, H2FlyGHT introduces advanced thermal management solutions to enhance efficiency and performance. H2FlyGHT is designed... Read more →
To achieve the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) goals of net-zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2050, all new aircraft delivered after about 2035 will need to emit zero net CO2 emissions throughout their operational lifetimes, according to a new report from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). The... Read more →
Vertical Aerospace unveiled its next generation full-scale VX4 prototype, the only electric take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL) designed, built and assembled in the UK. This next-generation VX4 is more powerful than the previous full-scale prototype, with a 20% increase in the power-to-weight ratio, enabling the aircraft to reach speeds of... Read more →
Production capacity of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the United States could increase from around 2,000 barrels per day (b/d) to nearly 30,000 b/d in 2024 if all announced capacity additions come on line, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Developers expect Phillips 66’s Rodeo Renewed project to... Read more →
New studies from Chalmers University of Technology show that almost all air travel within a 750-mile radius (1200 km) could be made with hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2045, and with a novel heat exchanger currently in development, this range could be even further. If everything falls into place, the commercialization of... Read more →
Southwest Airlines and Archer Aviation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop operational plans for electric air taxi networks utilizing Archer’s eVTOL aircraft at California airports where Southwest operates. Archer Aviation manufactures electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Southwest is California’s largest air carrier, operating at 14 airports... Read more →
Joby Aviation has successfully flown a first-of-its-kind hydrogen-electric air taxi demonstrator 523 miles, with water as the only by-product. The aircraft, which takes off and lands vertically, builds on Joby’s successful battery-electric air taxi development program, and demonstrates the potential for hydrogen to unlock emissions-free, regional journeys that don’t require... Read more →
Planes flying into one of the world’s busiest airports are ingesting around 10kg of dust per 1,000 flights—with most of this dust ingested while they are waiting to land, new research has revealed. Scientists used 17 years of ECMWF atmospheric data and data from the CALIPSO satellite to calculate the... Read more →
Nidec will make a minority equity investment of US$20 million in Eve Air Mobility, a manufacturer of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and launch partner for Nidec Aerospace’s propulsion system, through Nidec’s subsidiary, Nidec Motor Corporation (NMC). In June 2023, Nidec established Nidec Aerospace LLC, a joint venture... Read more →
American Airline entered into a conditional purchase agreement with ZeroAvia for 100 hydrogen-electric engines intended to power regional jet aircraft with zero inflight emissions save for water vapor. (Earlier post.) In addition, American has increased its investment in ZeroAvia. American made its first investment in ZeroAvia in 2022 and has... Read more →
Archer Aviation has received an additional $55 million investment from Stellantis under the companies’ strategic funding agreement following the achievement of its transition flight test milestone last month. This latest investment builds on Stellantis’ series of open market purchases of 8.3 million shares of Archer’s stock in March of this... Read more →
MAIRE S.p.A. announced that NEXTCHEM (Sustainable Technology Solutions BU), through its subsidiary MyRechemical, has signed a licensing contract with DG Fuels Louisiana, LCC in relation to its proprietary NX Circular gasification technology. The DG plant, expected to be operational in 2028, will produce 450 million liters per year of SAF... Read more →
Phillips 66 announced the full conversion of the Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex, expanding commercial-scale production and positioning the company as a leader in renewable fuels. The Rodeo facility in the San Francisco Bay Area increased rates to approximately 50,000 BPD (800 million gallons per year), reaching the company’s goal of... Read more →
The Arizona Sedona-Oak Creek Airport Authority (SOCAA)—in partnership with leading aviation fuel supplier, Avfuel Corporation, and the airport’s fixed base operator (FBO), Red Rock Aviation—now offers sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The airport is Avfuel’s first location to offer SAF in the state of Arizona, positioning it as a leader in... Read more →
The world’s leading used cooking oil (UCO) producer, China, will soon run out of waste oil, as demand from Europe and the US outstrips supply, a new Transport & Environment (T&E) study shows. Stratas Advisors’ research, on behalf of T&E, looks at the collection capacity of the world’s leading UCO... Read more →
SAFFiRE Renewables LLC plans to break ground on its pilot plant to turn agriculture residue into a scalable biofuel business near Liberal, Kansas, in late 2024. In 2023, the company negotiated a license agreement for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) deacetylation and mechanical refining (DMR) process, a technology seen... Read more →
Chevron Lummus Global LLC (CLG) announced its ISOTERRA technology has been selected for a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project in China. CLG will provide the technology license, engineering services, and supply proprietary equipment and catalysts for this facility. We are honored to be entrusted with advancing China's sustainability goals through... Read more →
Archer Aviation announced that on 8 June its Midnight aircraft successfully completed transition flying at a speed of 100+ mph. Archer has now achieved transition with two different full-scale eVTOL aircraft. Transition is well known in the industry as a very difficult milestone few companies have reached. At ~6,500 lbs,... Read more →
Wright Electric reports that it had completed development of the rotor for its second-generation motor, WM2500, as part of the ARPA-E ASCEND program. WM2500 aims to be the world's most powerful (2.5 megawatts) and power-dense (16 kW/kg) electric aircraft engine. High power enables WM2500 to deliver sufficient takeoff thrust for... Read more →
OMV Petrom, the largest integrated energy producer in Southeast Europe, will invest approximately €750 million at Petrobrazi to transform the refinery into the first major producer of sustainable fuels in the region. The company has made the final investment decision to build a SAF/HVO facility along with two facilities for... Read more →
Zero, a company developing and manufacturing whole-blend synthetic, non-biological fuels—gasoline, diesel and jet fuel—using just carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen from water—has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus to advance the development of synthetic Sustainable Aviation Fuel (eSAF) and enable commercial-scale adoption of the technology by... Read more →
The C919 aircraft completed maiden test flight with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced by Sinopec earlier this month. China’s homegrown large passenger aircraft, the C919 made a soft landing on the runway of Dongying Airport in Shandong Province, marking the first time for the domestic commercial aircraft to be fueled... Read more →
Results from the world’s first in-flight study of the impact of using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in both engines of a commercial aircraft show a reduction in soot particles and formation of contrail ice crystals compared to using conventional Jet A-1 fuel. The ECLIF3 study (earlier post), in which... Read more →
Fokker Next Gen is designing a clean sheet aircraft to contribute towards the net zero carbon emission vision of the future of flight. The design is a single aisle narrow body commercial aircraft seating 120 to 150 passengers, and has a flight range of 2,590 km (1,400 nm). The aircraft... Read more →
Archer Aviation and KakaoMobility, Korea’s leading mobility as a service (MaaS) platform service company, signed an agreement to partner for joint participation in the K-UAM Grand Challenge. The agreement and covers the planned purchase by KakaoMobility of up to 50 of Archer’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft worth up to an approximate... Read more →
Metafuels AG (earlier post), a Swiss aviation tech company, has signed an agreement with European Energy to set up a synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) facility near Padborg in southern Denmark. The new facility is set to be constructed adjacent to a future Power-to-X facility from European Energy. The facility... Read more →
NASA has created a new digital modeling tool for aeronautical engineers to innovate new aircraft designs, building on decades of experience using highly advanced computer code for aviation. Using this tool, researchers can create simulations of conceptual aircraft featuring never-flown technology and receive detailed data about how it would work.... Read more →
Airbus Helicopters’ Racer demonstrator recently made its first flight. Launched as part of the European Clean Sky 2 program, the objectives were a 20% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared with a conventional aircraft of the same weight, and an equally significant reduction in the noise footprint. Simulations,... Read more →
Signature Aviation, which operates the world’s largest network of business aviation terminals, is now providing only blended Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to all aircraft refueling at its terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Since April 1, Signature’s LAX terminal has become the second business aviation terminal worldwide,... Read more →
H3 Dynamics has been contracted by Airbus UpNext for the supply of a customized airworthy 500 kW (0.5MW) hydrogen fuel cell as part of a demonstrator to replace the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) on an Airbus aircraft. On conventional airliners, the APU is a supplementary engine that operates on standard... Read more →
Infinium has reached an agreement with SMA Mineral (SMA) that will advance the development of Infinium’s eFuels project at the Mo Industripark in Mo i Rana, Norway. (Earlier post.) The Infinium facility will utilize the carbon dioxide that SMA will produce at its Zero Emission Quick Lime (ZEQL) manufacturing facility... Read more →
Researchers from the Joint BioEnergy Institute have used advanced computing tools to engineer the bacteria Pseudomonas putida (P. putida) for isoprenol production as a precursor for sustainable aviation fuel. An open-access paper on their work is published in the journal Metabolic Engineering. Isoprenol is a chemical involved in the production... Read more →
Archer Aviation, a developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, completed the build out of its high-volume battery pack manufacturing line. This facility is housed at Archer’s Integrated Test Lab and Manufacturing Facilities in San Jose, CA and will have the throughput necessary to support the planned high... Read more →
Wright Electric, which last week announced a megawatt-class test cell for electric aircraft engines (earlier post), has begun assembling the 2.5 MW WM2500, which it will begin testing this summet. WM2500 is intended to be the world’s most powerful and power-dense megawatt-class electric aircraft engine. Built with the support of... Read more →
The German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) announced the launch of the BALIS 2.0 Project. Led by H2FLY and supported by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Diehl Aerospace, the project aims to develop and to test a high-performance fuel cell system with an output of 350 kW... Read more →
Topsoe has signed an agreement with Guangxi Hongkun Biomass to provide Topsoe’s HydroFlex technology to produce SAF at Guangxi Hongkun Biomass’ plant in the Qinzhou Port Area Free Trade Pilot Zone of Guangxi, China. This agreement marks Topsoe’s first SAF project in China. The project expects to process 300,000 tons... Read more →
The US Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released guidance on the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Credit established by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The Treasury Department worked closely with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Department of Energy... Read more →
Wright Electric, a developer of electric propulsion for large commercial aircraft, has launched its Wright Electric Aircraft Engine Test Cell (WEAETC). The WEAETC is designed to characterize the performance of megawatt-class electric aircraft propulsion systems. Founded in 2016, Wright’s goal is to decarbonize the aerospace industry. Wright works with leading... Read more →
ZeroAvia will be offering some of its key components designed for its hydrogen-electric engines to other clean aviation innovators. The move allows ZeroAvia to build upon the multi-billion dollar per annum market for its hydrogen-electric powertrain family, maximizing the company’s investment in R&D and its strategy of vertical integration. With... Read more →
Archer Aviation Inc., a leader in the development of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, announced the signing of a framework agreement in Abu Dhabi at the DRIFTx mobility event, held at the Yas Marina Circuit showcasing the latest in advanced urban mobility, driving discussions, collaboration, and innovation across... Read more →