The Race to Build the First Commercial Hydrogen-Powered Airplane: Baden-Württemberg is Leading the Charge

The aviation industry is looking to reduce emissions and many believe that hydrogen may be the solution. A startup in Stuttgart, H2Fly, has been working on hydrogen-powered airplanes for years and plans to have a 40-seat plane with a range of 2000 kilometers powered solely by hydrogen ready by 2024. To help speed up the process, they are creating a center for hydrogen-electric flying which will include test stands, workshops, labs, and other facilities. The race is on to see who can build the first commercial hydrogen-powered airplane – Baden-Württemberg is well positioned to win that race. ZeroAvia has already flown a 6-seater and a 19-seater partially powered by hydrogen fuel cells in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

In summary, the aviation industry is looking to reduce emissions through the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source. H2Fly is leading the charge in this area with their 40-seat plane set to be ready by 2024 while competitors such as ZeroAvia are also making strides in developing hydrogen-powered airplanes. Baden-Württemberg is hoping to come out ahead in this race as they are creating a center dedicated to advancing this technology.

The Basics of Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the lightest element and the most abundant element in the universe. It’s atomic number is 1 and its symbol is H. Hydrogen has three naturally occurring isotopes, protium (1H), deuterium (2H) and tritium (3H). Hydrogen gas is colorless, odorless and tasteless. It burns with a pale blue flame and can form compounds with other elements such as oxygen to form water. It is used in many industries such as fuel cells, fertilizer production and oil refining.
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Picture source: Ronnie George