H2eVTOL
Pat & Dennis Bender Experimental Aircraft Development Fund
J. Dennis Bender
Office, Home & Cell Phone: 859-391-5226
5726 La Jolla Blvd. – Suite 311
La Jolla, CA 92037-7345
&
Office - 100 Riverside Pl. - Suite 303
Covington, KY 41011-5711
We support experimental-aircraft development and applications for EMS, under-served-rural-communities, native-Americans, border-patrol, forestry-management, educational purposes, etc. (After initially incorporating in KY to form a single 501(c)(3), we dissolved that entity for a simplified form creating two entirely self-financed, private-philanthropies. A Vanguard National Trust account has been setup for each making annual-grants for specific experimental-aviation-related projects in conjunction with the Experimental Aircraft Assoc. Foundation [EAA] in Oshkosh, WI., the eVTOL organization, San Diego Air & Space Museum and similar organizations. David J. Bender is my Estate Rep.
www.JDBender.com – Pat & Dennis Bender eVTOL Experimental Aviation Fund (Vanguard National Trust)
www.JDBender.org – Pat & Dennis Bender Dementia Diagnosis Fund (Vanguard National Trust)
May 16, 2024
“Hydrogen packs three times the energy per kilogram as jet fuel, emits no carbon emissions, and can be sourced from water. . . Powered by green-hydrogen, the Vertiia is quieter and up to 70% less-expensive than a helicopter or small-fixed-wing aircraft. . . Its maximum-airspeed will be about 190-mph, with a range of about 621-miles and payload of 1,100-pounds.”
They may be “coming” but the question is just how soon! Given the decade-long-now delay in eVTOLS finally coming to market, one has to remain skeptical regarding these optimistic forecasts that have never been lived up to with respect to any current eVTOLs. Regardless, here is an overview and update. Still waiting to see if my on-order RYSE-Recon eVTOL is actually delivered, as promised, “this September.” I probably will not live long enough to finally see hydrogen-powered-hybrids come to market, but it’s a promising new technology option that I’ve been long following.
H2eVTOLs have hydrogen-fuel-cells that power electric-motors, and in the odd case, run on liquid-hydrogen, which sounds like the better option. AMSL Aero’s Vertiia has long been one of my favorites and I’ve even contemplating a long trip down there to speak with them firsthand but my current medical problems are delaying that planned trip.
Less than a dozen aircraft start-ups are using either fuel-cells or liquid-hydrogen as the main power for fixed-wing aircraft or rotorcraft, and most are still trying to work out the concepts, or at best, flying a scaled-down prototype. Here are 6 leading H2eVTOLs that plan to commercialize their aircraft by the end-of-the-decade. (If I could just find excellent industry observers, such as this one, I could relax from spending all day doing these summaries myself! Congrats to Dan Sloat at Robb Report for an excellent overview! Just hoping to live long enough for actually buying one to replace my coming RYSE-Recon!)
6 Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft That Are Hitting the Skies Soon, From a Flying-Car to a Private-Jet
These H2eVTOLs are just concepts at this point, but they're coming. And they have the potential to help make aviation emissions-free.
May 13, 2024 By Dan Sloat – Robb Report
AMSL Hydrogen propulsion aviation is evolving faster than expected. H2eVTOLs, as they’re known, have significant potential in an increasingly climate-conscious and cost-conscious society. Most of the news has been about pure electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft that operate by battery-power and electric-motors. H2eVTOLs, by contrast, have hydrogen-fuel-cells that power electric-motors, and in the odd case, run on liquid-hydrogen.
“Hydrogen packs three times the energy-per-kilogram as jet fuel, emits no carbon emissions, and can be sourced from water,” says Danielle McLean, founder of HYSKY Society, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing hydrogen-aviation. McLean notes that hydrogen has been used to power rockets for decades.
But for business aviation and Urban Air Mobility, hydrogen is in its infancy. Less than a dozen aircraft start-ups are using either fuel-cells or liquid-hydrogen as the main power for fixed-wing aircraft or rotorcraft, and most are still trying to work out the concepts, or at best, flying a scaled-down prototype.
There is virtually no hydrogen infrastructure in airports, and concerns remain about safety with hydrogen’s reputation for flammability. Industry watchdogs such as Germany’s Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing recently reported that hydrogen aircraft are “no more dangerous than conventional ones—safer in some respects.” Whether that reputation catches on remains to be seen.
Some experts also argue that the extraction, transportation, and storage infrastructure for hydrogen are simply too expensive to justify at the moment. But proponents, including the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer Airbus, are fiercely loyal to the advantages they see with hydrogen in the long-term. Airbus expects to have hydrogen-powered commercial regional jets flying in the next-10-years. [Too late for me!] However hydrogen-flight develops, it’s clear it has the potential to be instrumental role in decarbonizing aviation.
Here are 6 leading H2eVTOLs that plan to commercialize their aircraft by the end of the decade.
[AMSL Aero]
AMSL Aero Vertiia AMSL Aero claims its Vertiia will be the world’s first-to-market, long-range H2eVTOL, possibly entering service by 2027. “Powered by green-hydrogen, the Vertiia is quieter and up to 70% less-expensive than a helicopter or small-fixed-wing aircraft,” the company told Robb Report. The 5-person H2eVTOL, designed for Australia’s extreme conditions, has a V-tail to facilitate higher-speeds and safety. It claims it can take off and land in a tennis court. Its maximum-airspeed will be about 190-mph, with a range of about 621-miles and payload of 1,100-pounds.
[Sirius Business Jet]
Sirius Business Jet Switzerland’s Sirius Business Jet is ideally positioned for regional transport, given its impressive range of 1,150 miles, which is nearly double that of even the Vertiia. Like many eVTOL designs, the Sirius Business Jet will have both vertical takeoff potential as well as shifting rotors that allow forward flight. It is designed to cruise at 323 mph as high as 30,000 feet, carrying three passengers and a pilot. The company says noise pollution will be less than 60 decibels (comparable to a dishwasher). The SiriusJet will also come with a built-in parachute system for the whole airframe. The company recently released a version of its new electric motor and claims it will begin flight tests of a full-scale prototype next year. Unlike the others on this list, it will operate on liquid hydrogen which will be stored in cryogenic tanks. BMW Designworks did both the interior and exterior.
[Nex Aero]
NEX Aero Like the other aircraft on this list, the NEX Aero is still a work in progress. The German team behind the aircraft says it will have a range of over 300-miles and zero emissions (only water vapor as a byproduct), as well as lower maintenance and operational costs compared to conventional aircraft with a similar payload capacity of 441-pounds. Its scaled prototype first flew in 2022. Now, the company is flight testing its first-generation fuel-cell system. Nex hasn’t released a timeline for when it plans to flight-test a full-scale model, but estimates that its entry into service will be before 2031. The lineup for launch cities is purely wishful thinking at this point, but NEX is targeting its home city of Berlin, New York City, Singapore, Dubai, and NEOM in Saudi Arabia.
[LuftCar]
LuftCar The LuftCar’s designator as a “multi-purpose modular Autonomous Air and Road Mobility (AARM) eVTOL” is a mouthful, but the vehicle is designed for use in the air and on the road. In flight, the concept will be powered by a hydrogen-fuel-cell and wing assembly that attaches and detaches to its airframe. The vehicle is designed to fly under a 4,000-foot ceiling at speeds of up to 220-mph, with a maximum range of 300-miles. Once detached, the car will be able to travel 150 miles. The Orlando-based company previously said it plans to release a full-scale production model this year, but it’s not clear if that timeline still stands.
[Urban Aeronautics]
Urban Aeronautics CityHawk Fancraft technology is the most striking feature of the CityHawk—a four-passenger autonomous eVTOL with a footprint four times more compact than many of its peers. Designed to fit into a parking space, the CityHawk’s small footprint is achieved fully enclosed rotors and guiding vanes as opposed to a multi-copter configuration. This aircraft is designed for weaving around city skyscrapers, with the ability to land on rooftops. Israel-based Urban Aeronautics has announced prototype flights next-year, with first deliveries by 2029.
[Alaka’i Technologies]
{H2eVTOL}
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