VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft are rapidly growing from prototypes to commercial vehicles.
But while most prioritize electric batteries, theres a suite of companies developinghydrogen-poweredVTOLs, including theSkaifrom US company Alakai.
I recently spoke to Brian Morrison, co-founderand Director, to find out more.
Why is Skai using hydrogen, not lithium-ion batteries?
Firstly, I was curious whyhydrogeninstead of Lithium-ion batteries.
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Lithium-ion batteries scare me.
He recalled the Boeing 787 lithium-ion battery fires in 1987.
Boeing had delivered the aircraft to the airline just 18 days prior.
In that time, the plane logged 22 flight cycles without incident.
Another 787 made an emergency landing in Japan after pilots received a battery malfunction warning five days later.
These two events led the FAA to ground the entire 787 fleet.
It was the first time the agency had given such an order for a line of aircraft since 1979.
You want to recharge it as quickly as possible.
Morrison has an extensive history in aviation, including developing black box recorders.
He recalled:
I started looking at eVTOLs as a serious possibility in 2012.
I did literally hundreds of simulations to convince myself that battery eVTOL was viable.
And I wound up convincing myself that it wasnt.
A lonely approach to aircraft innovation
Morrison refocused on hydrogen fuel cells, noting a family history.
How receptive is the FAA to a hydrogen VTOL like Skai?
Theyve been extraordinarily supportive.
Its a new technology to them, so theyre excited about it.
Plus, its hydrogen fuel cells.
They were saying some of the most ridiculous things.
Oh, well, well just tell the FAA, this is how its gonna be.
We dont need such and such requirements.
The degree of rigor required surprises them.
Its a massive undertaking.
Its able to land almost anywhere as it hasnt the refueling infrastructure limitations of traditional eVTOLs.
As Morrison asserts:
A lot of eVTOL folks are panicking aboutvertiportsand building out supplies to charge their batteries.
But we dont need that.
Fuelling the vehicle takes between six and eight minutes.
Definitely a powerful collaboration.
Whats the market for a hydrogen VTOL like Skai?
So, whos going to fly in a Skai?
Further, the National Guard can operate under military authority, exempting them from FAA certification requirements.
This makes it possible to build and deliver vehicles to the National Guard much earlier.
Cardinal missions are also a focus.
But everyday aviation is also in the works too.
Of course, the challenge is getting from idea to end product.
The economy of scale
One of the biggest problems in aviation has been an inability to scale.
As Morrison explained: They see mass production across the entire industry as producing 900 aircraft a year.
Thats not mass production.
Alakais goal from day one has been to design a vehicle with automotive standards.
Thus, an automotive-style production line makes it easy to scale.
According to Morrison:
Its not that different from a Tesla when you think about it.
Skai has electric motors and a carbon-fiber structure.
We have rotors instead of tires.
And we have an avionics electronics panel instead of a self-driving.
If you ask me, cheaper production costs make it possible to achieve mass production.
Cheaper aircraft also means more affordable flights.
And thats never been more critical than now.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
