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Zero-emissions aviation firm Stralis has successfully tested a hydrogen-electric powered propeller spin on the ground at Brisbane Airport.
The test, conducted on a ground demonstrator aircraft dubbed “Clyde”, took place at Brisbane Airport and was the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, as well as the first on a registered plane at an international airport.
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It follows a successful spin-up of an electric motor on a Stralis Beechcroft Bonanza in January this year and is a step towards flight testing on sister aircraft “Bonnie” in 2025 and the potential for commercial flights in 2026.
“This is a huge win for Stralis. We have safely trialled the introduction of hydrogen in a controlled environment at Brisbane Airport for use in aircraft propulsion, which required strong collaboration and upskilling of everyone involved,” said Bob Criner, CEO and co-founder of Stralis Aircraft.
“This lays the foundation and builds momentum as we work towards Australia’s first hydrogen-electric flight next year.”
Stralis intends to use hydrogen fuel cell technology for its retrofitted planes, which regional airline Skytrans plans to deploy initially on Brisbane–Gladstone flights. The hydrogen-powered planes will emit zero carbon, with the only byproduct being water vapour.
Alan Milne, CEO of Skytrans, congratulated Stralis on the successful test, which was supported by grant funding from the government’s Emerging Aviation Technology Partnerships Program.
“This is a very strong message to the industry that Stralis is on the right track and progressing at a great rate of knots towards emission-free aviation,” Milne said.
“Skytrans is proud to support Stralis and looks forward to a long commercial relationship.”
Hydrogen fuel cell technology has been firming up as a power source for clean aviation, with rival electric aircraft firm Dovetail demonstrating a powertrain in Spain this year, while AMSL Aero has been testing hydrogen for its Vertiia electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft at Bankstown Airport in Sydney.
In 2022, Airbus partnered with Perth-based renewable energy company Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) to collaborate on the development of hydrogen-focused low-emission solutions for the aviation sector, in a deal aimed at supporting the entry-into-service of Airbus’ ZEROe hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2035 to help achieve net-zero emissions targets.
Additionally, while battery power is considered less desirable for aviation than hydrogen due to the batteries’ weight and charge times, a research team at Monash University has developed lithium-sulfur battery technology that could be viable in aircraft.
