Rolls-Royce and easyJet test hydrogen-powered jet engine
Rolls-Royce and easyJet successfully test hydrogen-powered jet engines in lift-off
Rolls-Royce has completed the first ever successful ground test for a modern, hydrogen-powered aeroplane engine.
According to the firms, it took place at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire using a modified Rolls-Royce jet engine.
Grant Shapps, Business Secretary to the UK, said that Britain is leading the worldwide shift to guilt-free fly.
Rolls-Royce and easyJet conducted the first ever successful ground test for a modern, hydrogen-fueled aeroplane engine.
Rolls-Royce and easyJet joined forces this year to promote hydrogen as an airline fuel starting in the mid-2030s.
The successful test used so-called ‘green’ hydrogen – generated with renewable wind and tidal power at a site on the Orkney Islands.
Shapps stated, “This is a true British success tale.”
Grazia Vittadini, chief technology officer at Rolls-Royce, said that it was an “exciting milestone” in a project that could ‘help reshape future flight.
However, the company acknowledged that hydrogen power will require a completely different infrastructure than fossil fuels and will be difficult to implement over time.
It is also working on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
