Model-based assessment of the environmental impacts of fuel cell systems designed for eVTOLs

Hydrogen fuel cells have increasingly gained relevance for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft due to their potential to overcome the main challenges related to batteries. Previous studies have investigated their feasibility for urban air mobility; however, a robust assessment of their environmental implications is still lacking. To fill this gap, this study follows a model-based life cycle engineering approach to quantify the environmental impacts of a fuel cell system designed for three ranges. The production burdens distributed along the lifetime are demonstrated, showing that, for the best case scenario, 70g CO₂-eq. per passenger-kilometer is achieved. Under the premise of green hydrogen production, the stack is the main contributor to the environmental impacts. This changes for non-renewable hydrogen production pathways, where hydrogen has the highest impact contributions. Better environmental performance results from short design ranges; however, systems designed for longer ranges will likely increase attractiveness in the future.