The fascination with airships did not disappear with the Hindenburg fire, but the giants of the air could only survive in niches. Airplanes were far faster and airships were relatively expensive to operate. Because mostly the safe helium was used instead of the explosive hydrogen.
Since modern materials have prevented the gas from gradually escaping through the envelope, the idea of air transport without emissions has once again become an attractive alternative to the airplane. The reason is simple: the airship stays in the air because of the buoyancy of the gas. It only needs energy to move forward, but not to keep from falling. So unlike an airplane, whose engines always have to generate an airflow around the surfaces.
Low consumption
The H2 Clipper goes one step further than other projects. He does not use helium, but hydrogen. Hydrogen can burn explosively, but the gas achieves a higher buoyancy than helium due to its weight. With the same size, the gas can carry much more load. And indeed, the clipper is intended to compete with cargo ships and trains: the clipper will move 150 tons and have a range of 10,000 kilometers. At 280 km/h, it’s slow compared to airplanes, but very fast compared to sea and rail traffic. Zero-emission aircraft of the future will need to use a much higher glide fraction, which will result in their speed advantage shrinking.
In addition, an airship does not require complex logistics, it does not need much more than a meadow to take off and land. Goods could be picked up directly from a customer and delivered to the destination. This is also the reason why the transport should only cost a quarter of today’s air freight – with a complete renunciation of fossil fuels. The H2 Clipper is filled with green hydrogen and is also powered. Ultimately, it could even be used as a gas transporter.
Hydrogen as future energy
The increasing spread of the climate-neutral gas will lower the fear threshold for hydrogen. Without passengers on board the H2, no people will be endangered. The Clipper maneuvers autonomously with the possibility of drone remote control. The H2 Clipper 2021 was presented, the first tests of air resistance and the associated fuel consumption have now been completed. A smaller prototype is scheduled to fly in 2025, and the first full-size hydrogen airship could be completed in 2028.