Rolls-Royce and easyJet to test hydrogen combustion engine tech for airplanes

Aerospace giant Rolls-Royce said Tuesday it was pairing up with airline easyJet to develop and test hydrogen combustion engine technology for aircraft. London-listed Rolls-Royce said the two companies would work together on a range of ground-based tests slated to begin this year. Both firms had “a shared ambition to take the technology into the air,” it added. easyJet carried the same statement about the partnership on its website. The goal of the collaboration, called H2ZERO, “is to demonstrate that hydrogen has the potential to power a range of aircraft from the mid-2030s onwards,” Rolls-Royce said. According to the company — not to be confused with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, which is owned by BMW — the firms will conduct an “early concept ground test” of a Rolls-Royce engine using the hydrogen technology in the U.K. this year. A full-scale ground test of the technology using a Pearl 15 jet engine will follow on from this, with Mississippi mooted as a potential location. Tuesday’s announcement follows a statement on Monday in which Rolls-Royce outlined its plans for the above ground tests. “The technology that emerges from this programme has the potential to power easyJet-size aircraft, which is why we will also be making a multi-million pound investment into this programme,” Johan Lundgren, the easyJet CEO, said. “In order to achieve decarbonisation at scale, progress on the development of zero emission technology for narrowbody aircraft is crucial,” Lundgren added.<br/>