Beyond Aero Raised $20M in Funding for Its Hydrogen-Powered Biz Jet

Beyond Aero just gave its hydrogen-powered biz jet a big boost.

The French start-up has raised $20 million in funding to develop its One aircraft, which aims to be the first electric business jet powered by hydrogen propulsion on the market, Simple Flying reported. Founded in 2020, Beyond hopes to have its creation hit the skies in 2030.

The 67-foot One will be able to carry up to eight passengers on its trips, with an 800-nautical-mile range and a cruise speed of about 357 mph (575 km/hr). As for its power source, the aircraft gets its juice from a fuel cell, which produces electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen, leaving only water as a byproduct.

And because hydrogen fuel cells don’t create greenhouse gases or burn fuel, they’re noted as a more sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. This process, according to the brand, is 12 times more efficient than a battery-powered plane—and produces a range that’s five times greater than an aircraft run on batteries, too.

Implementing hydrogen fuel cells across the aviation sector has its challenges, though. For one, storage solutions for the element are rather heavy, which can obviously lead to issues when trying to prepare an aircraft for takeoff. Beyond Aero turned to Formula 1, and the auto industry in general, to combat that problem; the start-up looked at hydrogen powertrains used in cars and boats and recrafted One’s design to best support the fuel-cell system, Simple Flying reported.

Beyond Aero now has $44 million in its pocket from investors, who include Airbnb cofounder Nate Blecharczyk and Dropbox cofounder Arash Ferdowsi, as well as venture-capital companies Initialized Capital and Giant Ventures.

“It’s moving faster than anyone expected. For us, it’s not a question of if, but when,” the brand’s cofounder and CEO Eloa Guillotin told Robb Report last year.

And with this latest bit of funding, that “when” is getting a whole lot closer. Plenty of other hydrogen-powered aircraft are inching toward takeoff, too. Nex Aero, Sirius Jet, and ASML Aero all have zero-emissions aircraft in the pipeline, so there will be plenty of creations to watch out for in the skies in the years to come.