Hyundai Motor Group Announces Partnership with Rolls-Royce to Develop Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft

IT House July 20 news, Hyundai Motor Group announced on July 19 that it signed a commercial agreement with British aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce to bring all-electric propulsion and hydrogen fuel cell technology to advanced air Transportation (AAM) Market.

The partnership will leverage Rolls-Royce’s aviation and certification capabilities and Hyundai Motor Group’s hydrogen fuel cell technology and industrialization capabilities, both companies sharing a vision to lead the AAM market for urban air mobility (UAM) and Regional Air Mobility (RAM) markets provide battery-electric and fuel cell electric solutions and advance sustainable aviation.

The MoU between Rolls-Royce and Hyundai Motor Group includes five strategic objectives:

• Collaborate on technical development and requirements for power and propulsion systems for Hyundai Motor Corporation’s Advanced Air Mobility Division.

• Partnership to industrialize Rolls-Royce power and propulsion systems for the AAM market.

• Development of an electric propulsion system based on hydrogen fuel cells as an energy source for Hyundai’s RAM platform.

• The collaboration brings fuel cell electric propulsion systems to the wider AAM market.

• Deliver a combined fuel cell electric aircraft demonstration by 2025.

Shin Jai-won, President of Hyundai Motor Group, said, “We are delighted to partner with Rolls-Royce to leverage their aviation and certification expertise to accelerate the development of hydrogen fuel cell propulsion systems. Hyundai Motor Company has successfully has successfully supplied hydrogen fuel cell systems to the global automotive market, and is now exploring the feasibility of electric and hydrogen propulsion technology in aviation integration. We believe this is a key technology to support the global aviation industry’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon flight by 2050 “.

The benefits of using a hydrogen fuel cell system in an all-electric aircraft propulsion system are,It is a zero-emission, silent and reliable onboard power source that enables scalability of power products and long-range flight. Hyundai will work with Rolls-Royce to bring hydrogen fuel cells, storage systems and infrastructure to the aviation market and advance the technology to Hyundai’s RAM cars and Rolls-Royce’s all-electric and hybrid-electric propulsion products middle.

IT House understands that Hyundai Motor Group announced its AAM business roadmap earlier this year, which includes UAM and RAM segments to provide eco-friendly air mobility solutions for people within and between cities. Hyundai Motor Group’s US-based Supernal division aims to start commercial services for UAM operations in the US in 2028, while Hyundai Motor Group plans to launch RAM services in the 2030s.