2020/11 WEBINAR: Solving Aviation Sustainability Problem, Starting in 2023

Royal Aeronautical Society Heathrow Branch November 2020 Lecture via WEBINAR - "Solving Aviation Sustainability Problem, Starting in 2023" by Dr Val Miftakhov, Founder & CEO, ZeroAvia ABSTRACT: ZeroAvia is a pioneer in zero-emission aviation, flying the world’s largest zero-emission aircraft without any fossil fuel support since the spring of 2019. Its focus is the design and commercialisation of hydrogen-powered aviation solutions to address a variety of markets, initially targeting short-haul 10-20-seat commercial flights up to 500 miles, air taxis, package delivery and more. Its innovation programme in the UK is part-funded through the UK Government’s Innovate UK and Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) research and development programme, HyFlyer. In September 2020, ZeroAvia has completed the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell powered flight of a commercial-grade aircraft with the Piper M-class aircraft. It will now turn its attention to the final stage of its six-seat development programme – a 250-mile zero emission flight before the end of the year. This range is roughly equivalent to busy major routes such as Los Angeles to San Francisco or London to Edinburgh. In this webinar, the guest speaker will address the scope of carbon emissions generated by the aviation sector and the challenges the industry faces in reducing emission with existing solutions and discuss the benefits of electrification for aviation. The company’s breakthrough hydrogen-fuelled electric powertrain technology will enable 100 seat aircraft by 2030 beginning with a 19-seat zero-emission aircraft operating commercially by 2023, dramatically faster than industry experts anticipated. He will also outline what further engineering efforts are required for hydrogen-electric planes to power larger commercial aircraft. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Val Miftakhov is a Founder & CEO of ZeroAvia, Inc, a California company developing the World’s first practical zero emission aviation powertrain. Val is a serial entrepreneur in EV space – his previous company eMotorWerks has developed the World’s leading platform for EV battery aggregation to provide grid services, and was acquired in 2017. Prior to that, Val held a number of senior business and product positions at Google and McKinsey & Company, and was a nuclear researcher at Stanford Linear Accelerator. Val holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Princeton University, Masters in Physics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and was a two-time winner of Russian Nationwide Physics competitions. In his spare time, Val makes good use of his airplane and helicopter pilot licenses. FOR UPCOMING EVENTS: visit http://tiny.cc/RAeSLHR or https://aerosociety.com/Heathrow