ZeroAvia has unveiled plans to construct a manufacturing hub for hydrogen-electric powertrains at the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland, situated near Glasgow Airport in Renfrewshire.
This facility, designated as ZeroAvia’s Hydrogen Centre of Excellence, will facilitate various manufacturing processes related to powertrain production and testing.
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It will serve as the primary site for the production of advanced high-temperature PEM (HTPEM) fuel cell stacks and associated systems.
The company has secured nearly 3,000 pre-orders for full engines and components from airlines and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), representing more than $10bn in projected revenue.
The new site in Scotland will complement ZeroAvia’s existing Propulsion Centre of Excellence located in Washington State, which primarily focuses on electric motors and power electronics.
The company is planning to enhance its research and development (R&D) and aircraft testing centre at Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire.
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By GlobalDataThe Scottish project is expected to generate millions in private investment and create hundreds of jobs in the coming years, supported by a £9m ($12.07m) Regional Selective Assistance grant from Scottish Enterprise.
This funding follows a £20m equity investment from the Scottish National Investment Bank as part of ZeroAvia’s Series C funding, which also saw the UK National Wealth Fund invest £32m.
The UK Government has allocated £10.5m to ZeroAvia and its consortium partners for the development of advanced HTPEM fuel cells in 2024 through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme, in collaboration with the Department for Business and Trade and Innovate UK.
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said: “ZeroAvia’s decision to establish a base in Scotland – creating 350 highly-skilled jobs in the process – is the perfect illustration of Scotland’s growing reputation in the global transition to net zero.”
Since 2019, ZeroAvia has received a total of £18.5m in R&D funding from the UK Government to advance its fuel cell and powertrain technology.
This financial support, combined with over $250m in private investment, has enabled ZeroAvia to achieve various milestones.
These include the flight of the world’s first hydrogen-electric commercial scale aircraft in 2020 and the successful flight of the world’s largest hydrogen-electric aircraft in 2023, alongside the manufacturing and delivery of fuel cell systems to customers and progress in regulatory certification for its powertrains.
ZeroAvia founder and chief executive Val Miftakhov said: “With this new facility, Scotland has a big role to play in driving this transformation. We welcome the grant award from Scottish Enterprise and the support of our equity investors that has enabled us to move into another phase of manufacturing readiness as we progress towards certification of our first engines.”
In February this year, ZeroAvia secured a deal to sell its 600kW electric propulsion system to US aircraft manufacturer Jetcruzer International.
