With assistance from industry partners all around the globe Boeing successfully launched the very first hydrogen fuel cell powered airplane in aviation history. This latest milestone for Boeing engineering team will be one of many in its quest for more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly solutions to the current aviation industry.
The two seat Dimona motor-glider was built Austria by Diamond Aircraft and was fitted with a fuel cell / lithium ion battery hybrid system to power the motor that spins the propeller. The wingspan on this glider is a whopping 53.5 feet wide.
The test flight was a resounding success as the test pilot rose to over 3,300 feet on a mixture of electric. Once the pilot reached cruising altitude he then switched off the battery power and proceeded on the power from the fuel cells only for a straight and level 20 minutes flight at 62 mph.
Boeing researchers say the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) technology has the potential to power small aircraft and unmanned aircraft only. This means that major air travel won’t be getting 100% fuel cell power at least not from this technology, but the researchers did add that some kind of fuel cell assistance is possible in the future.
I love to hear news like this when industry leaders like Boeing are putting money and brain power into alternative fuels they give a huge boost to the credibility that the days of oil are coming to a close. It will take years and years, but with research like this and the technology emerging from new startups and old companies alike I think that more options will be finding their way to the market it sooner then people thought.
Source: Boeing
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April 4th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Jason,
It is pretty amazing to see how many companies are really getting behind the push for a greener way of thinking and producing. I read an article in popular mechanics a few months back about a test Mercedes that Jay Leno Has that can be run 100% off of Hydrogen fuel and simply produces water exhaust. I can’t wait to see what the “green” car will be like and I can’t even imagine what a “green” plane would be like.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
the sooner we get this on all transports and power stations running on hydrogen I think the world will be better ,greener, hopefully more peaceful.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:30 am
Personally I can’t wait for this to happen. A greener more peaceful world is all I can ask for when my kids are running about.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Jay Leno is a super lucky guy he’s so well connected he’ll get to see and probably has seen things that we’ll never get to see. I hope that the infrastructure starts to develop before they start tossing vehicles out and about. If that happens I can foresee a huge advantage for the environment.