Sergey Brin’s relief aid zeppelin to use world’s biggest hydrogen fuel cell

What about this record hydrogen fuel cell will make Brin’s zeppelin so special then? Firstly, it’s worth noting that hydrogen is a cheaper solution than lithium-ion batteries, but its biggest advantage is that it will allow for far longer journeys than methods in use today.

‘Where we could go something like 125 miles with batteries, we should be able to go nearly 1000 miles using hydrogen,’ revealed Dr Josef Kallo of the German Aerospace Center.

Combining hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, these heavy and complex units are amazing feats of engineering, but bring new complications to consider – such as how to safely store tanks of liquid hydrogen and bi-product water, while dealing with a lot of heat waste.

When it comes to the actual zeppelin, LTA is planning to make use of an existing prototype dubbed the ‘Pathfinder 3’. Yet to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, this zeppelin currently makes use of batteries and aims to become a commercial form of transport for up to 14 people.

Sourcing hydrogen cell development from a third party, LTA eventually plans to retrofit its Pathfinder 3 with the new propulsion systems to carry out the humanitarian side of the business.

On that front, Brin seems more committed now than ever before. LTA made a charitable donation of more than five million face masks for the first responders during the height of Covid-19, and donated close to $3 million last year to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Brin has also showed continued support for his disaster response non-profit ‘Global Support and Development,’ which will likely operate closely with LTA in its future ventures. He pledged a hefty sum $7.5 million in the year of 2019 alone.

With the potential to axe aviation’s hefty footprint whilst also providing aid to those in need, it’s safe to say we’re definitely rooting for LTA in the months and years to come.