The partnership will be called H2ZERO and will build on a joint research project that both companies started in 2021. Rolls-Royce brings expertise in the development of aircraft engines, easyJet the operational knowledge. The airline will also invest in the test programs, it says.
The companies want to start testing on the ground this year. They will carry it with an AE 2100 turbo propeller and a Pearl 15 jet engine. Rolls-Royce is currently working on test rigs with the English universities of Cranfield and Loughborough to power them with hydrogen.
Later, Rolls-Royce and easyJet want to get the technology up and running. “The aim of the partnership is to demonstrate that hydrogen has the potential to power a wide range of aircraft from the mid-2030s,” they said in a statement.