Report: Airbus Has Spent $1.7B on Stalled Hydrogen Ambitions
Manufacturer in February scaled back development of a hydrogen-powered aircraft, which it said may arrive a decade later than its original 2035 target.
Airbus in March revealed this concept image for a hydrogen fuel cell-powered ‘ZeroE’ aircraft. [Courtesy: Airbus]
Key Takeaways:
Airbus has significantly slowed the development of its hydrogen-powered "ZeroE" aircraft concepts, having already spent over $1.7 billion on the project.
The manufacturer attributes the delay to the "hydrogen economy" being 5-10 years behind initial 2020 assumptions and challenges with fuel cell propulsion scalability.
As a result, the original 2035 target for fielding a zero-emission aircraft is no longer feasible, with the timeline potentially delayed by a decade and ambitions scaled back to a less robust design.
Updated Thursday, April 24 at 4:40 p.m. EDT with comment from an Airbus spokesperson.
Airbus has pumped the brakes on its development of a hydrogen-powered aircraft concept. On Sunday, new details emerged about just how much the manufacturer has spent on the stalled project.
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Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.
