Following its announcement of a planned launch (https://www.urbanairmobilitynews.com/air-taxis/sirius-to-unveil-worlds-first-hydrogen-powered-vtol-aircraft-on-january-17/) Swiss startup Sirius Aviation has launched its hydrogen VTOL (vertical take off and landing) aircraft — and an ambitious plan to have it in the air by 2025.
“Sirius has unveiled two versions of its hydrogen VTOL — the Sirius Millennium Jet and the Sirius Business Jet — which it designed in collaboration with BMW’s Designworks and Sauber Group, an engineering company known for its Formula 1 cars” according to media outlet FreeThink.
“The Millennium has room for five passengers and a pilot, and its flight range of 650 miles is more than enough to get you from Washington, DC to Chicago” according to Freethink.com. “The Sirius Business Jet, meanwhile, has room for three passengers and a pilot and a range of 1,150 miles — that’s enough for a trip between New York and Miami. Both have a cruise speed of 323 mph.
“Because the energy density of the liquid hydrogen system is greater than that of lithium-ion batteries, Sirius’ range and speed is much greater than that of comparable eVTOLs.
“The FAA has also certified at least one eVTOL and one hydrogen plane as “airworthy” but since Sirius’ hydrogen VTOL is the first aircraft of its kind, there’s no precedent for certification. That could potentially make it more time-consuming to get through the regulatory process.
“Despite those challenges, Sirius has laid out an incredibly ambitious timeline for its jets, with the first test flights planned for 2025, followed by certification in 2026 and the launch of commercial services in 2028.
“Sirius’ ability to secure funding will likely determine whether it has any chance of hitting those milestones — the startup has been funded internally to date, but is now looking for outside investors.”
For more information
https://www.freethink.com/transportation/hydrogen-vtol
(Image: Sirius Aviation)
