Zero-emission, Hypersonic Passenger Jet 40 Years Away
- Jun 20, 2011 1:58 PM EST
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At the Paris Air Show, EADS, the parent company of Airbus, unveiled plans for a plane that can go four times the speed of sound and produces zero emissions. And it's only four decades away.
The 100 passenger plane will run on a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen and, thus, produce only water as emissions. But more exciting is just how fast the plane can go. By flying just above the atmosphere the plane — known as Zero Emission Hypersonic Transportation, or ZEHST for short — can reach speeds topping out at 3,125 miles per hour, which is four times the speed of sound.
This would cut a full nine hours off of a trop from London to Tokyo. You could also fly from London to Malaga, Spain in just 20 minutes, or to Istanbul in half an hour.
However, the ZEHST, which is modeled after the Condorde, a plane designed in the 1960s, is currently just a concept. Representatives from EADS said the plane won't be a commercially viable flying option for at least 40 years.
Via the Daily Mail.