Green hydrogen powered dirigible could revolutionize long haul cargo transport worldwide.
More than 80 years ago, the Hindenburg Zeppelin LZ 129 exploded and crashed as it approached landing at Lakehurst New Jersey on May 6, 1937.
The behemoth 250-meter long vessel rigid airship had been in service for just under a year. At the time, numerous such vessels had been produced and employed with relative commercial success between the 1900s and the late 1930s. But the dramatic, fiery explosion of the Hindenburg spelled the end of dirigibles as a mode of transport.
Green resurrection
That may be about to change. In the latest video, Die kalte Sonne’s Energieschau features California start-up H2 Clipper, which wants to bring the dirigible back to life with “a 100% green 20th century version of the hydrogen dirigible”.
According to the company’s promotional video, the new vessel uses “green hydrogen” for propulsion and with it the company hopes to transform air freight and shipping worldwide.
Using liquid hydrogen and fuel cell technology, the H2 Clipper is claimed to “operate efficiently at service ranges from under 500 to well over 6,000 miles” and travel at 175 mph. It would be able to “deliver goods directly from a factory in China to a distribution center in the U.S. in less than 36 hours.”
The H2 Clipper also boasts a massive cargo volume capacity of over 265,000 cubic feet (7,500 cubic meters), which is “8 to 10 times more cargo space than any other air freighter”.
Air freight cost less than a quarter of traditional
The cargo transport cost: between $0.177 to $0.247 per ton, which is “less than one-quarter the cost of traditional air freighters”. Moreover, using today’s modern navigation technology, it could transport unmanned.
According to H2 Clipper’s site:
By using modern fuel cell technology, fresh water is the H2 Clipper’s only operating by-product. It is not only 7X to 10X faster than a ship and 4X less costly than an air freighter, but also the only climate pledge friendly alternative for long-haul transport.”
Sounds highly promising and thus may be a great example of an effective and even impressive way to put green energies to use.
via NoTricksZone
By P Gosselin on 2. April 2022
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