Birmingham Airport says it is making progress with its plans to build a hydrogen production and refuelling facility as it opens talks with a car manufacturer about vehicle trials.
Initial concepts have been created for the refuelling facility on land at the airport in Solihull, created jointly with ZeroAvia, a British/American developer of hydrogen-electric aircraft founded in 2018.
An area of land with access to the airfield and local road network has been earmarked as a suitable location while on-site solar power is being considered as a source of renewable energy to produce the hydrogen.
Subject to funding, planning and regulatory permissions being secured, the ambition would be to use the plant to support early flight demonstrations and also refuel road vehicles, potentially including local buses.
In advance of this, Birmingham Airport said it had commenced talks with an unnamed automotive company about trialling hydrogen buses and cars on its airfield.
Arnab Chatterjee, vice-president of infrastructure at ZeroAvia, said: "Our ambition is bold but attainable. We have proven the concept of hydrogen-powered flights and are on a clear pathway to commercial adoption.
"Technologies are advancing fast as we progress with expanding to larger aircraft over longer distances. Before the end of this decade, we believe hydrogen as a fuel source for vehicles and aircraft will be an accepted norm."
Hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity which then powers electric motors to turn the aircraft's propellers. The only emission is water vapour.
Analysis by ZeroAvia suggests a 3MW hydrogen production facility could produce 365 tonnes of hydrogen annually, therefore potentially supporting 1,250 regional flights and 3,000 buses or trucks per annum.
The remaining 250 kg per day of hydrogen production would be used for industrial purposes. ZeroAvia and the airport announced in February that they had teamed up to form the new partnership.
ZeroAvia has already carried out successful test flights at its base in Kemble, Gloucestershire, using a 20-seater aircraft powered by a hydrogen-electric engine. It plans to certify its ZA600 system for this size of aircraft by 2025 while looking to certify engines for up to 80 seats by 2027.
ZeroAvia is currently working on bringing to market a zero-emission system capable of flying 20-seat aircraft 300 nautical miles by 2025.
This opens up the possibility of green air travel from Birmingham to Scotland, Belfast, Isle of Man and Dublin by the middle of this decade.
The company is aiming to get an emission-free, 80-seat aircraft flying up to 1,000 nautical miles by 2027, meaning destinations in the Mediterranean could be reached.
Simon Richards, chief finance and sustainability officer at Birmingham Airport, added: "While we are still at a very early stage, it is important to communicate this vision so people can see what is coming and the benefits to the wider community.
"This is a game-changing prospect underpinned by a steely determination to decarbonise and protect the future of our planet for future generations."
