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Universal Hydrogen CEO sees jetmakers backing new fuel -Breaking

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© Reuters. FILE PHOTO A Airbus A320neo is shown during an Airbus news conference, which was held in Colomiers, near Toulouse, France on October 17, 2017. This announcement saw Airbus and Bombardier announce a partnership for the C Series program. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

By Tim Hepher

PARIS (Reuters) – Airbus (NYSE:) Co is set to launch new successors for their top-selling single aisle jets powered with hydrogen in the middle of the next decade. This was according to Reuters by the chief of a U.S.-based company that supports the fuel.

Paul Eremenko (chief executive at Universal Hydrogen), counters Boeing’s claim that it is too soon to consider hydrogen as a replacement for the 737. Airbus, however, strongly supports hydrogen, but for small planes first.

Eremenko spoke at the Reuters Next conference. He is a former chief tech officer of Airbus and United Technologies. Now part of Raytheon Technologies (NYSE):

Universal Hydrogen was founded by him last year. His goal is to increase the availability of hydrogen for pilots in regional aircrafts that can seat 40-60 people, using fuel cells.

Eremenko also plans to enter the most important part of the market for aviation, which is the 150-seat plus single-aisles dominated primarily by the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX.

Eremenko stated that he believes there will be an airplane of that type from each aircraft manufacturer around the middle-2030s. This would mean that they would have to decide on it by late 2020.

“We want that it is a hydrogen plane.”

Boeing seems to have decided that this is unlikely. According to Boeing, hydrogen is a viable option but there must be significant barriers before its widespread adoption. The sustainable aviation fuel is the most efficient and fastest.

‘RHETORIC’

Eremenko declared that, “Irrespective the rhetoric we hear about this topic, I think by time this is in use in the regional market… in 2025 there will be fundamental changes in the tenor”

“When it’s visible and in service commercially… It will become uncontroversial that the next-generation single-aisle aircraft must be a hydrogen plane in the 2030s, I believe.

Experts believe that the cost of hydrogen and challenges associated with supercooling it and building reliable supply systems must all be dealt with.

Eremenko stated that Universal Hydrogen was in talks with U.S regulators to prove hydrogen safe.

The idea of a hydrogen-powered plane is not new. NASA’s predecessor flew in 1957 a modified bomber powered only by hydrogen. Soviet Union also flew a hydrogen-powered TU155 airliner in 1988. This engine replaced kerosene.

Eremenko stated that there was no true fundamental science. There is also no fundamental invention. It is engineering. This will require a lot engineering over the next ten years to make it possible.

Universal Hydrogen plans to replace turboprop engines in regional planes with retrofittable electric ones that are powered by hydrogen-based fuel cells. However, it will be focusing on hydrogen supply if it enters single-aisle markets.

CFM is the US-French engine firm that supplies the most gas turbines to the single-aisle marketplace. It was the first to unveil a new open-bladed model capable of burning conventional fuel or hydrogen as early as the 2030s.

Eremenko admitted to a disagreement over the infrastructure needed for green hydrogen that is produced from renewable energy.

He said, “Until there’s a hydrogen plane nobody is going to spend in infrastructure. The Boeings and Airbuses are not going to build hydrogen aircraft.”

Universal Hydrogen intends to fly its hydrogen-powered regional plane next year. Eremenko stated that it will be tested “hopefully before the end”

ZeroAvia, a British-American company, announced in October that it will team up with MHI RJ Aviation Group in order to develop hydrogen-electric propulsion systems for regional aircraft.

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