A California-based startup has set an all-new record with its hydrogen-powered air taxi.
Joby Aviation’s S4 eVTOL air taxi has successfully travelled over 523 miles (841km) nonstop.
This is a big achievement, but the biggest surprise is that it only produced water as a by-product.
READ MORE! Soon people can travel from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in 10 minutes with an air taxi ride
Hydrogen-powered air taxi
Built on the firm’s successful battery-electric air taxi, Joby Aviation has developed a hydrogen-powered version of the flying car.
Its record-setting run also proves the potential of hydrogen as an efficient and emissions-free fuel.
However, it was not a proper model — but a pre-production prototype demonstrator instead.
The hydrogen-electric demonstrator was developed by a small team at Joby and H2FLY.
The H2FLY team is also known for building the world’s first piloted liquid-hydrogen electric aircraft.
How does the hydrogen-powered flying car work?
The demonstrator had a liquid hydrogen fuel tank and a few batteries to power the vehicle.
H2FLY also created a fuel cell system that uses hydrogen to generate heat, water, and power.
The hydrogen fuel tank generated electricity through an electrochemical reaction with oxygen from the air.
Joby Aviation has also signed a deal with Dubai to bring their air taxis to the tourist destination.
This achievement also makes Joby’s flying air taxi an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional gas-powered jets.
So we might see the hydrogen-powered air taxi quite soon.
With a push towards cleaner forms of aviation, this achievement is a great indication of the future.
“Imagine being able to fly from San Francisco to San Diego, Boston to Baltimore, or Nashville to New Orleans without the need to go to an airport and with no emissions except water,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Joby founder and CEO.
The company also expects liquid hydrogen to power their aircraft for over a 900-mile (1,500 km) range.
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