SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Joby Aviation, an advanced air mobility company in Santa Cruz, Calif., announced that the company accomplished a first-of-its-kind hydrogen-electric air taxi demonstrator flight of 523 miles. The aircraft, which takes off and lands vertically, builds on Joby’s successful battery-electric air taxi development program.
The flight test, which Joby believes to be the first forward flight of a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen, was completed last month using a converted pre-production prototype battery-electric aircraft fitted with a liquid hydrogen fuel tank and fuel cell system. It landed with 10% of its hydrogen fuel load remaining.
Using the same airframe and overall architecture as Joby’s core, battery-electric aircraft, this demonstrator features a liquid hydrogen fuel tank, designed and built by Joby, which stores up to 40 kilograms of liquid hydrogen, alongside a reduced mass of batteries. Hydrogen is fed into a fuel cell system, designed and built by H2FLY, to produce electricity, water, and heat. The electricity produced by the hydrogen fuel cell powers the six electric motors on the Joby aircraft, with the batteries providing additional power primarily during take-off and landing.
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In the fuel cell, hydrogen from the storage tanks is fed into the anode side. The anode contains a catalyst that splits the hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons. The protons pass through an electrolyte membrane to the cathode side of the fuel cell. At the same time, the electrons travel through an external circuit, creating an electric current that powers the aircraft's electric motors.
Jacob Wilson, (Acting) Branch Chief, AFWERX Agility Prime, said: "Agility Prime has been very supportive of hydrogen-powered aircraft development and testing as it aligns with the program’s goals to advance transformative vertical lift technologies and broader Department of Defense operational energy goals of energy substitution and diversification, and energy demand reduction."
JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO, Joby, said: "Traveling by air is central to human progress, but we need to find ways to make it cleaner. With our battery-electric air taxi set to fundamentally change the way we move around cities, we’re excited to now be building a technology stack that could redefine regional travel using hydrogen-electric aircraft.
"Imagine being able to fly from San Francisco to San Diego, Boston to Baltimore, or Nashville to New Orleans without the need to go to an airport and with no emissions except water. That world is closer than ever, and the progress we’ve made towards certifying the battery-electric version of our aircraft gives us a great head start as we look ahead to making hydrogen-electric flight a reality."
