Government Funding Confirmed For Dutch Hydrogen-Electric Powertrain

Dutch startup Conscious Aerospace says it has received confirmation from the Netherlands’ government that its planned development of a hydrogen-electric propulsion system for regional aircraft will receive €73 million ($83.8 million) in funding from the country’s National Growth Fund.

The Hydrogen Aircraft Propulsion and Storage System (HAPSS) program aims within four years to fly a liquid-hydrogen, fuel-cell powertrain on a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 and develop a supply chain in the Netherlands for production of hydrogen-electric powertrains.

HAPSS is the largest project within the Netherlands’ €383 million Aviation in Transition (LiT) program, Conscious says. The wider LiT program is also funding the Airbus-led ICEFlight (Innovative Cryogenic Electric Flight) project, which brings together Dutch companies to mature critical cryogenic technologies.

The Conscious-led project includes Dutch companies Aeronamic, Elysian Aircraft, EH Group Engineering, Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik, Senior UK, SII Netherlands and AeroDelft, as well as Dutch aerospace laboratory Royal NLR and Delft Technical University.

“The consortium we have assembled has the capability, experience and drive needed to achieve a fully certified solution. With strong government backing we can act now by designing and delivering a certified retrofitted Dash 8-300 with our novel propulsion system and start flying toward the end of this decade,” Conscious CEO Erik Geertsema said in a statement.

Dutch carrier KLM and its low-cost subsidiary Transavia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Conscious Aerospace at the Paris Air Show to advise on seating and cargo design for a reengined Dash 8-300.

“While aircraft powered by new propulsion technologies, such as hydrogen fuel cells, may initially carry fewer passengers and have a limited effect on our overall CO₂ footprint, we believe in starting small and thinking big,” said Barry ter Voert, KLM business development executive vice president.

KLM and Transavia have also signed an agreement with Elysian Aircraft to explore technological, operational and commercial requirements for deploying battery-electric aircraft such as the Elysian’s E9X, which is designed to carry 90 passengers with a range of 800 km (430 nm). KLM has been a member of Elysian’s advisory board since April 2024.

—With Victoria Moores in Paris