MARINA – In June, Joby Aviation accomplished a 523-mile flight over Marina with its first hydrogen-electric technology demonstration aircraft, and in July, California became the primary state to officially open a hydrogen hub. Both developments help meet the state's goal of reducing pollution and expanding clean energy.
Last week, the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES) and the U.S. Department of Energy officially announced the signing of a landmark $12.6 billion agreement, which incorporates as much as $1.2 billion from the Department of Energy and $11.4 billion in private and non-private grants, to construct and expand clean energy infrastructure across California.
“Air travel is central to human progress, but we need to find ways to do it cleaner,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, in a press release. “As our battery-powered air taxi will fundamentally change the way we move around cities, we are excited to now build a technology stack that could redefine regional travel with hydrogen-powered aircraft.”
The aerospace company has developed and produced an electrical air taxi able to carrying a pilot and 4 passengers at speeds of as much as 320 km/h, providing high-speed mobility with a fraction of the noise of helicopters and no operating emissions.
Joby has been operating in Marina for about seven years and is constructing a producing facility there. The company has begun production of its aircraft there at its pilot production plant, with the primary aircraft rolling off the road in June 2023. The Marina facility is one in every of three in California, with others situated in Santa Cruz – where the corporate is headquartered – and San Carlos. Joby Aviation also has a facility in Munich, and last yr selected Dayton, Ohio, as the situation for its latest manufacturing facility.
“The majority of the design, testing and certification work we have completed on our battery-electric aircraft will be transferred to the commercialization of hydrogen-electric flight,” said Bevirt. “In operations, we also expect to be able to utilize the same landing sites, operations team and Joby's ElevateOS software that support the commercial operations of our battery-electric aircraft.”
According to the Governor's Office of Economic Development, California has recently led the nation in quite a few innovations in hydrogen-powered transportation, including the world's first fully hydrogen-powered ferry in San Francisco Bay and the successful 523-mile hydrogen-electric flight.
“Joby is a great example of why California continues to be a global leader in clean technology and high-tech manufacturing,” said Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom and director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, in a press release. “Their pioneering work to decarbonize aviation by advancing battery and now hydrogen fuel cell technology is helping to combat climate change and create a clean energy future that will improve the lives of all Californians.”
Joby's hydrogen-electric demonstrator is an element of the corporate's future technology program and is the results of a multi-year collaboration between a small team at Joby and H2FLY, Joby's wholly owned subsidiary based in Stuttgart. The converted Joby aircraft previously accomplished greater than 25,000 miles of testing as a battery-electric aircraft at Joby's facility in Marina.
According to the Department of Energy, the California Hydrogen Hub spans your complete state and can leverage the state's leadership in clean energy technologies to provide hydrogen exclusively from renewable energy and biomass.
Renewable energy sources include solar, wind and ocean, and biomass sources include agricultural residues, animal waste and algae.
Last yr, California was chosen because the national hub. ARCHES is the primary of seven hydrogen hubs across the country to officially sign its agreement with the Department of Energy.
The ARCHES Hub will construct a network of unpolluted, renewable hydrogen production sites to cut back fossil fuel use across California. The ultimate goal is to decarbonize public transit, heavy-duty trucking, and port operations by 2 million tons per yr—roughly such as the annual emissions of 445,000 gasoline-powered cars. The California Hydrogen Hub is anticipated to create 220,000 latest jobs, including 130,000 in construction and 90,000 everlasting jobs.
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