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Debt-free, emission-free air travel could be an option for Britons when they start traveling from 2025.
Controversial British entrepreneur Dale Vince has launched Ecojet, a company he describes as “the world’s first electric airline.”
Ecojet will charter flights between Southampton and Edinburgh in aircraft retrofitted with hydrogen-electric engines, while passengers will be treated to plant-based meals served by staff in eco-friendly uniforms.
Flights to mainland Europe follow soon after, with long-distance travel to the US and Asia, for example, as the ultimate goal.
Vince is a multi-millionaire vegan eco mogul who has donated money to the Labor Party and climate activists Just Stop Oil.
Concept image of the Ecojet aircraft, which will carry passengers on commercial flights between Southampton and Edinburgh from next year
His project marks the start of an ‘aviation revolution’ by enabling carbon-free and emission-free air travel for the first time.
“The question of how to create sustainable air travel has occupied the green movement for decades, and Ecojet is by far the most important step towards a solution to date,” said Dale.
“The desire to travel is deeply ingrained in the human mind, and zero-carbon flights powered by renewable energy allow us to explore our incredible world without harming it for the first time.”
Ecojet’s fleet will consist of conventional aircraft of two sizes – a 19-seat aircraft and a 70-seat aircraft – retrofitted with hydrogen-electric powertrains.
Like the fleet being tested by British-American company ZeroAvia, onboard hydrogen fuel cells use the chemical energy of hydrogen to produce electricity.
These hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity by mixing hydrogen and oxygen – supplied by the air – through a chemical reaction.
The only waste product produced by this process is water, unlike traditional aviation, which is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
Ecojet will begin with turboprop aircraft in two different sizes (a 19-seat aircraft and a 70-seat aircraft, pictured). These aircraft will be retrofitted with the hydrogen-electric powertrains once approved for use by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
Dale Vince is a multimillionaire who has donated money to the Labor Party and climate activists Just Stop Oil
Once retrofitted, the aircraft will operate with the same power as before, but with a 100 percent reduction in CO2 and other emissions.
The decision to repurpose old aircraft rather than build new models from scratch saves 90,000 tons of carbon per year.
Flights will depart from existing airports in Southampton and Edinburgh, eliminating the need to build new airports.
Steps will be taken on board to further reduce the impact of the airline industry, including serving plant-based meals, eliminating single-use plastics and providing staff with environmentally friendly uniforms.
These will use fabrics that don’t pollute the planet, so are leather-free and likely contain “ethically sourced and grown cotton,” Vince told MailOnline.
Because electric motors are nearly silent, passengers on board experience a quieter and more relaxing flight – perfect when they need a quick bite to eat.
Meanwhile, people on the ground, such as airport staff or local residents, will not experience the smell of burning fossil fuels.
To secure routes and a license from the Civil Aviation Authority, Ecojet will initially fly conventional fuel aircraft. These will be retrofitted from 2025
Vince has initially invested around £1 million in the company and will raise more money next year, he said.
The price of the flights has not been confirmed, but he told MailOnline: ‘We will match the price [with existing flights] so that everyone can afford it.’
Ecojet will actually start next year; however, the first flights will not be zero emissions at all and will instead rely on polluting turbine engines.
The company’s aircraft will only be retrofitted with the hydrogen-electric powertrains once they have been approved for use by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The first retrofits will take place in 2025, one year after the start of flights in 2024, meaning that for the first year of operation, Ecojet will fly high-emission conventional aircraft, just like any other airline.
Currently, aviation is responsible for about 3 percent of global CO2 emissions, but the total contribution to the climate crisis is estimated to be three times this level due to the altitude at which airplanes are when they emit greenhouse gases.
This “colossal” negative impact on the planet will be eliminated for good once the viability of electric flight is proven, according to Vince.
He envisions the wider aviation industry following his Ecojet project’s lead by eventually adopting electric aircraft.
Vince owns the wind farm company Ecotricity Ltd, which has made him one of the UK’s wealthiest businessmen, worth over £100 million.
He is also the owner and chairman of Forest Green Rovers in Gloucestershire, the world’s first carbon neutral football club.
But he has become a controversial figure because of his ties to disruptive climate activists Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil, to which he has donated.
He recently defended Just Stop Oil causing chaos at Wimbledon and the Ashes by saying climate change is the “real disruption.”