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Hy-Bird electric solar plane to fly around the world this summer, ships next year
Take a look at the Hy-Bird, a hydrogen-powered electric airplane that gets 10% of its power from the sun. Made of super-lightweight (and expensive) carbon fiber, there’s talk of this fuel-cell aircraft flying around the world this summer, and shipping to paying customers starting next year. Could happen, because this is not the first electric airplane we've heard of, and certainly won't be the last.
Created by French company Lisa Airplanes, the idea is “to fly around the world with a 100% clean electric airplane powered only by renewable energies: solar energy and hydrogen.” The company says that power system will allow the plane to circumnavigate the globe in 3000-km stages. The electro-aviators aren't saying how much the shipping product will cost, though.
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Lisa Airplanes, via Inhabitat
By wintermute at 9:15 AM ON 04/30/08
How do you figure hydrogen is a renewable reasource? Last I checked we get almost all of our hydrogen from natural gas... which isn't exactly renewable. Clean yes, renewable... not so much.
By wintermute at 9:17 AM ON 04/30/08
Er... Hydrogen isn't currently a renewable resource. It's non-poluting, but not renewable. Almost all of it is currently refined from natural gas.
By wintermute at 9:23 AM ON 04/30/08
Grah.. my browser locked up and it looked like my original post didn't go through... I tried to say it over again and this is what happened. Effectively a doublepost.
By mikeaspatrick at 9:58 AM ON 04/30/08
"electric solar plane to fly around the world this summer, ships next year"
Solar planes are cool, but a flying ship! Wow!!
;o) Mike
By JBL at 7:06 PM ON 06/07/09
Hydrogen is renewable. Not directly available, yes, but obtainable through basic electrolysis of water. Electricity can come from renewable means, such as solar energy, and water is renewable. This type of "green" hydrogen is already produced and in use, even in cars, but still more expensive than the hydrogen produced from natural gas.
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Hydrogen is renewable. Not directly available, yes, but obtainable through basic electrolysis of water. Electricity...More »