Japan's government is moving forward with a massive program to build the airplane of the future — in about a decade.
That's because multiple reports have the highly touted aircraft set to come to realization after 2035.
But the project is making headlines now as the country's energy industry recently announced the plans, which are a little scarce so far, at least in published reports. Interesting Engineering wrote that the passenger plane will use hydrogen fuel or electric propulsion, both cleaner than traditional dirty energy burners.
If successful, the airplane will address a dirty problem that's on the rise.
Aviation's air pollution tally is growing faster than other transportation sectors, according to the International Energy Agency, accounting for 2% of global planet-warming carbon dioxide fumes.
Japan's $33 billion (Reuters has it at $26.4 billion) initiative is an effort to clean up the industry, to help meet the country's climate goals, and to take a leading role in global aviation innovation.
"For the Japanese aircraft industry to achieve sustainable growth, we cannot stay satisfied with our position as a parts supplier," Japan state minister of economy Kazuchika Iwata said, per Interesting Engineering.
The public-private game plan comes after a project from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was shelved last year.
Hydrogen planes are being tested by companies around the world. But the fuel isn't without critics, because natural gas is most commonly used in the reforming process to create hydrogen. Electrolysis is a cleaner option when renewables are supplying the juice to split hydrogen and water, all according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Electric and hybrid planes are also in development by innovators, including Boeing, in other parts of the planet.
"Nothing concrete has been decided yet, but possibilities include hybrid electrics, hydrogen combustion, hydrogen … these are possible next-generation technologies we're looking at and aiming to deepen our research of," Iwata said in a story by the Economic Times.
Cleaner airplanes are a key part of creating a more sustainable transportation system. Better yet, even land-based travel on Main Street, USA, can easily be cleaned up with some simple, money-saving tips. Tweaks to your vehicle's climate controls can keep things comfortable inside your ride while saving you gas and cash. The hacks can also help to prevent hundreds of pounds of harmful air pollution from exiting your tailpipe.
Back on the other side of the world, Japan is hoping its first commercial airline launch since the middle of the last century will live up to its billing in the effort to reduce pollution from the aviation sector.
"In the new business fields of carbon-neutral technologies, including hydrogen, we aim to take a leading position," Iwata said in the Economic Times article.
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