Toulouse-based Beyond Aero has obtained significant finance for their sustainability-focused private and business jet, which is scheduled to launch in 2030.
Beyond Aero’s One aircraft is designed to be the first electric commercial aircraft driven by hydrogen propulsion. It can accommodate six to eight persons and cruise up to 800 nautical miles.
What is the Beyond Aero One?
Beyond Aero, launched in 2020, aims to reinvent a commuter aircraft’s architecture around hydrogen-electric propulsion, with an emphasis on fuel cell technology, hydrogen tank integration, and better cooling systems.
The aircraft will be powered by fuel cells, which generate water as a byproduct and have the ability to travel up to five times further than a battery-powered aircraft.
The startup has now raised more than $44 million from investors including Giant Ventures, Bpifrance (the French Sovereign Fund), Initialized Capital, Female Funders Found, Airbnb cofounder Nate Blecharczyk, and Dropbox cofounder Arash Ferdowsi.
Beyond Aero also received $914 million in Letters of Intent for 108 aircraft from customers that included entrepreneurs, celebrities, and athletes. Eloa Guillotin, Cofounder and CEO of Beyond Aero, expressed how excited this new breakthrough is for the company:
“We have formed a strong alliance of investors from Europe and the United States. Giant Ventures provides invaluable guidance, a client network, and a global perspective.” Initialized Capital, which has supported us from the Seed round, adds founder experience in scaling industry leaders.
“Bpifrance exemplifies the strong national commitment to renewable energy innovation outlined in France’s 2030 strategy. With significant public people who share our vision, we are electrifying aviation and realizing our global goals.”
Beyond Aero reports that commercial clients, including airlines, charter operators, and corporate flight departments, have expressed “strong interest” in the product.
The increased cash will support Beyond Aero’s Hydrogen Electric Powertrain Lab. This $12 million facility is intended to test all components of the hydrogen-electric propulsion system, including hydrogen tanks, fuel cells, and electrical systems.
The facility replicates one of the aircraft’s two powerplants and will concentrate on hydrogen refueling, air supply, fuel cells, and integrated powertrain testing, marking an important step forward in system design and safety verification.
Bringing hydrogen power into the skies.
The business aircraft has a fuel cell, which creates energy by mixing hydrogen and oxygen and produces only liquid water as a byproduct. Because hydrogen fuel cells do not burn fuel or emit greenhouse gases or atmospheric pollutants when in operation, they are frequently regarded as a clean alternative to existing fossil fuel technologies.
One of the most significant barriers to widespread use of hydrogen in air travel is its weight. While hydrogen offers a higher energy density than traditional fuels like kerosene, present storage methods are cumbersome.
To address this, Beyond Aero has worked with Formula One and the automobile industry as a whole to obtain insights into hydrogen powertrains used in cars and boats, with the goal of redesigning the aircraft’s architecture around the propulsion system to maximize tank and battery integration.
Hydrogen aircraft may be refueled in minutes, similar to those using traditional or Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). This offers them an advantage over all-electric aircraft, which take longer to recharge due to the restricted capacity of batteries.
The company’s prototype, named after pioneering French aviator Louis Blériot (who accomplished the first airplane flight across the English Channel), has already provided proof of concept.
The aircraft is a converted ULA model G1 SPYL-XL propeller plane outfitted with an 85-kilowatt hydrogen-electric powertrain prototype that gets two-thirds of its power from a hydrogen fuel cell and the other third from batteries.
During the testing flights, the Beyond Aero crew achieved 10 takeoffs, including two complete flights, reaching an altitude of 2,300 feet above sea level and ascending at 110 km/h.Other players in the hydrogen jet market include Embraer and Airbus, as well as Joby subsidiary H2FLY.