First-Ever Fuel Cell Aircraft Takes off near Hamburg, Germany-

The globe’s first piloted fuel cell aircraft took flight in Germany today; using hydrogen fuel cells alone to power and boasting ZERO carbon emissions. The Antares DLR-H2 motor glider was developed by Lange Aviation, the DLR, BASF Fuel Cells and Serenergy, has an incredible range of 750 kilometers, and is able to soar in flight for approximately five hours. “We have improved the performance capabilities and efficiency of the fuel cell to such an extent that a piloted aircraft is now able to take off using it,” said Johann-Dietrich Woerner of the DLR, or German Aerospace Center. He went on to say, “This enables us to demonstrate the true potential of this technology, also and perhaps specifically for applications in the aerospace sector.” The aircraft utilizes hydrogen for fuel, which is then converted into electrical energy in an electrochemical reaction with oxygen in the atmosphere, without producing any ignition. The DLR asserts that the sole result is water and, if the hydrogen is created using renewable energy resources, the motor glider is legitimately free of any carbon dioxide. The DLR also maintains that “although the fuel cell may still be a long way from becoming the primary energy source for the propulsion of commercial aircraft, it does already constitute an interesting and important alternative to existing energy systems as a form of reliable on-board power supply.”