Easyjet and Rolls-Royce announce H2Zero

Innovative collaboration for the development of hydrogen combustion engine technology

EasyJet and Rolls-Royce today announced H2ZERO, a new partnership that will begin the development of hydrogen combustion engine technology capable of powering a variety of aircraft, including narrow-gauge aircraft.

With this collaboration, the two companies have announced their intention to cooperate and conduct a series of ground tests of the engine from the end of this year, confirming their joint commitment to test them also on the journey. The purpose of the agreement is to demonstrate that hydrogen is capable of operating various types of aircraft starting in the mid-2030s.

On the one hand, Rolls-Royce will provide its experience in the development of engines and combustion systems, on the other hand easyJet will contribute to H2ZERO with its operational knowledge and expertise, as well as direct investment.

As part of H2ZERO, the companies will later this year conduct the first test of the Rolls-Royce AE2100 engine in the UK. This will be followed by a full ground test of the Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 jet engine in which several location options are being explored, including the Rolls-Royce facility in Mississippi, USA. The project will build on previous trials of hydrogen combustion and fuel systems that Rolls-Royce is running with the universities of Cranfield and Loughborough.

H2ZERO draws inspiration from the international Race to Zero campaign, promoted by the United Nations, to which both companies have joined by committing to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The agreement announced today is part of a research program launched by EasyJet and Rolls Royce in 2021, where the two companies have carried out a market analysis and assessed the regulatory and infrastructure needs to encourage the use of hydrogen in the aviation sector.

Johan Lundgren, CEO of EasyJethas declared: “As we have always maintained, to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, drastic action is needed to effectively address the environmental impact of aviation. That is why today we are happy to announce this partnership with Rolls-Royce. The technology resulting from this project will be able to power aircraft of the same size as those used by EasyJet, which is why we will also contribute several million pounds of direct investment. To achieve large-scale decarbonisation, progress must be made in developing zero-emission technology for narrow-body aircraft. Together with Rolls-Royce we look forward to leading the industry in meeting this challenge“.

Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology and Strategy Officer of Rolls-Roycehas declared: “The H2ZERO represents a major step forward for Rolls-Royce and we are delighted to be working with a partner who is like-minded in innovating and finding new solutions to aviation’s greatest challenges. We at Rolls-Royce are ready to be at the forefront of sustainability using all possible solutions, be it hydrogen, electricity, SAF or increasing the efficiency of gas plants. This agreement is a further step in this direction“.

The H2ZERO partnership was also created from market research such as that of the Fly Zero team of the British Institute of Aerospace Technology and that carried out by the NAPKIN (New Aviation Propulsion Knowledge and Innovation Network) project, both of which concluded that there is a potential market. of hydrogen powered aircraft.