Innovation leader Toshiba has announced a strategic collaboration with Airbus focused on the development of superconducting engines for hydrogen-powered aircraft on the market.
The construction of superconducting hydrogen engines
This alliance was presented during the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition 2024, and aims to implement technologies with capabilities to replace current propulsion systems with more efficient and cleaner solutions.
The superconducting motor developed by Toshiba offers advantages such as: high power with reduced weight and natural compatibility with cryogenic temperatures, necessary for liquid hydrogen storage, as the main objective.
This Toshiba prototype can generate up to 2 megawatts of power while weighing only one tenth of the systems on the market. This directly responds to one of the most stringent requirements in aviation: maximum power with minimum weight, improving aircraft safety.
Moreover, when operating in extremely cold conditions, the engine benefits from the same thermal infrastructure required to maintain the hydrogen in a liquid state, optimizing energy use on board during the journey.
Airbus has shown continued interest in clean solutions such as hydrogen propulsion. hydrogen propulsion . This collaboration with Toshiba aligns with its vision to launch commercial aircraft with zero CO₂ emissions by 2035.
Aviation technology through an alliance between Toshiba and Airbus. Source: Airbus
This current approach is based on two methods: direct combustion of hydrogen in modified turbines or the use of fuel cells to power electrical systems. It is in this second approach that Toshiba’s technology can make a difference.
Source and photo: Toshiba
