ZeroAvia 600 kW Aircraft Powertrain Pulls 15-Ton Truck, in Milestone Ground Test

It looks like a “don’t try this at home” type of thing, but it’s a legitimate ground test – a flight-intent 600 kW powertrain was used to pull a 15-ton hypertruck, based on heavy-duty military models. ZeroAvia started developing this powertrain last year, with the intent of using it to power the company’s future hydrogen-electric aircraft, with sizes ranging from 10 to 20 seats.

The demonstration was conducted at the company’s headquarters in Hollister, California, successfully proving the efficiency of the ZA-600 powertrain. The monster-like truck, which is formally a “mobile ground testing platform” is actually big enough to test even ZeroAvia’s ZA-2000, a 2MW+ powertrain designed for 40- to 80-seat aircraft.

As cool as it is to watch a heavy-duty truck get pulled by a flight-intent system, it’s much more than that – a significant milestone in the development of hybrid aircraft. ZeroAvia began with successful flight tests of its 250 kW powerplant, in a six-seat aircraft, and now it began testing the 600 kW version.

A couple of months ago, it announced the purchase of two Dornier 228 aircraft, to be used in the HyFligher II 19-seat program. After this successful ground demonstration, the next step will be flight testing the ZA-600 in the Dornier aircraft testbed. These flight demonstrations are set to take place at the company’s UK facility, in Kemble, by the end of the year.

ZeroAvia’s 19-seater, with a 500-mile (805 km) range, is designed as a clean alternative for regional flights in the UK and the U.S, set to kick start commercial operations by 2024.