“飞行汽车”来啦！全球首例吨级液氢eVTOL试飞成功
China has successfully tested its first liquid hydrogen-powered electric unmanned aircraft (飞机), known as an eVTOL, in Baoji city, Shaanxi Province. This marks a big step forward in using liquid hydrogen for commercial purposes and encouraging the low-altitude economy.
The eVTOL was created by a team of companies, including Shaanxi Tongchen Heguang Cryogenic Technology Co Ltd, Dreamfly Technology Co Ltd, and Qing Power Technology Co Ltd. It can fly for 4 to 5 hours on a single fill of liquid hydrogen, traveling 800 to 1,000 kilometers at an average speed of 240 kilometers per hour.
Li Yongxin, chief engineer of Shaanxi Tongchen Heguang Cryogenic Technology Co, explained that liquid hydrogen is much better than traditional fuels and lithium (锂) batteries. It’s a clean energy that doesn’t pollute and works well even in very cold temperatures, unlike lithium batteries which lose a lot of energy in the cold. Liquid hydrogen also allows for much longer flights.
This successful test shows that liquid hydrogen can be used effectively in real-world situations, which could lead to its wider use. Li also mentioned that liquid hydrogen-powered eVTOLs could be used in many areas like firefighting, transport, and farming tasks such as watering, planting, and picking fruit.
China’s low-altitude economy is growing fast. The Civil Aviation Administration of China predicts that the market will grow from 500 billion yuan in 2023 to 1.5 trillion yuan by 2025, and could reach 3.5 trillion yuan by 2035, according to Xinhua News Agency.
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