大象传媒

A Los Angeles start up says it will conduct the first test flights of planes powered by hydrogen next year. Universal Hydrogen has managed to raise millions of dollars for research - and has procured orders from airlines in Iceland, Spain and Ireland to convert passenger planes to fly using hydrogen.

At the moment, the company is working with very small planes - but says it wants to see the type of single aisle planes people travel on for holidays to be powered by hydrogen 'within the next decade'. They aim to have the first small planes fully operational within four years.

The company's Chief Technology Officer is Mark Cousin, who worked for Airbus for 30 years. He says they want to show Boeing and Airbus that the next generation of planes can be - and must be - built to run on greener technologies.

"It's really important that the industry takes steps now with the technology that exists today to make the step and convert regional aircraft - 50 passenger airplanes, the sort of thing you'd fly for an hour or two on. It's not easy, we need to develop lighter tanks to store the hydrogen in... But that's what we're working on."

(Photo: Toddler looks out at a plane in an airport. Credit: Getty Images)

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