Airbus has partnered with Nidec Leroy-Somer to develop hydrogen engine motors for its upcoming hydrogen-powered engine.
The two companies will join forces to develop an electric
motor for a hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine with Airbus aiming to bring a
flight-ready zero-emission aircraft to the market by 2035.
French company Nidec Leroy-Somer, owned by the Japanese conglomerate
Nidec, will build prototype motors that will be tested on the ground and,
following qualification and validation, will be tested in flight
conditions.
“We are pleased to have been selected by Airbus to provide
our expertise in high efficiency electric motors and contribute, through our
innovative R&D teams and solutions, to this ambitious eco-friendly
commercial aviation project,” said Jean-Michel Condamin, the President of the
Commercial & Industrial Motors Division at Nidec Leroy-Somer.
“This important milestone for more sustainable mobility,
presents several challenges that we are committed to overcome, to serve the
global community,” Condamin added.
According to the company’s press release, the project’s
management, design, engineering, and prototype building will be done from its
headquarters in Angouleme, France. Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse are some
360 kilometers away from Nidec Leroy-Somer’s main offices.
“Our world-class R&D capabilities will bring to Airbus
sustainable and powerful smart technologies with best-in-class energy
efficiency for the near future of aviation,” added Eric Coupart, the Chief
Technology Officer (CTO) of the company’s Commercial & Industrial Motors
Division.
Airbus launched the ZEROe demonstrator in February 2022,
with the European planemaker stating that it would use an Airbus A380 as a
testbed for hydrogen propulsion. A few years prior, in September 2020, Airbus
unveiled three ZEROe concept aircraft: a turbofan-based design, a turboprop,
and a blended-wing body aircraft, with all three powered by hydrogen.
“This is a historic moment for the commercial aviation
sector as a whole and we intend to play a leading role in the most important
transition this industry has ever seen. The concepts we unveil today offer the
world a glimpse of our ambition to drive a bold vision for the future of
zero-emission flight,” Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said at the time.
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