Name: This could be the first hydrogen-powered aircraft to fly non-stop around the globe
Uploaded: 2025-11-10T18:05:55.000Z
Duration: 5 min 43 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Le Sab Dolon on the French Atlantic coast, is known for fishing, yachting and its production of carbon fiber composite used in the nautical and aerospace industries.

No surprise then, that a pioneering aviation project is based here.

Clima Impulse is looking to become the first hydrogen powered aircraft to circumnavigate the globe.

And Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard is heading up the project.

He comes from a long line of pioneers that include his grandfather, Auguste Picard, who set world records for hydrogen balloon flights and was the inspiration for Professor Calculus in the comic book series the Adventures of Tintin.

And then there's Bertrand's father, Jacques Picard.

He developed submarines and was part of the team that was first to explore the deepest part of the world's ocean, the Mariana Trench, keeping the family's adventurous legacy alive.

Bertrand was the first person to complete a non stop balloon flight around the world.

And in 2016, he was part of the team that circumnavigated the globe in a solar powered plane.

I caught up with this third generation explorer to ask about his latest project, Climate Impulse.

Bertrand, thank you so much for having CNBC here.

Here is the cockpit of the first hydrogen airplane, which is attempting to fly non stop around the world with zero emissions.

If you want to be fully decarbonized, you can go on solar.

But it's not really practical for commercial aviation.

Small planes can fly on batteries up to probably 30 seats.

But if you have bigger planes, you need bigger batteries, and

a part of your energy will be wasted by carrying the heavy batteries.

So that's the moment where it's more efficient to go on hydrogen.

What are some of the key things in the aircraft's research and development and design?

All the structure has to be really light, really strong.

But it's not only a plane, it's a propulsion system.

And to imagine the complexity, hydrogen has to be kept in the liquid form at a temperature of -253 Celsius, almost the absolute zero.

So the tank has to be really well insulated, and

the little part of hydrogen that will always be evaporating, this is called the boil off.

And it will feed the fuel cells, run the electric motors and allow it to be silent, to be clean, and

Materials company Ciensco is one of Climate Impulse's key partners.

It provides fuel cell membranes, adhesives, insulation, and the aircraft's main structural Material, carbon fiber.

What is it going to look like when the plane will be ready?

There will be two seats here where we are sitting.

There will be the steering wheels, There will be the instrument panel.

Behind us a little bunk, small kitchen to reheat water and food.

There will be huge wings with two big pods, like two fuselage that will contain the hydrogen fuel tanks, the fuel cells, the electric motors and the propellers.

Construction of Climate Impulse began in 2024.

Testing is expected to begin by 2026 and the final takeoff is scheduled for two years later.

Bertrand is one of the two pilots who will undertake the mission.

The other is project supervisor Raffaele Dinelli.

I spoke with him about the trip's viability and logistics.

What is the process by which the hydrogen powers the plane reservoir?

You need to build now a completely new industry.

There was a time where you had a gasoline car in 1910 and no gas stations to fill it up so you could not travel.

We are at that stage today with hydrogen.

But if we give the wish for this development, it will happen and it will happen very fast.

Fast isn't something that will be on Climate Impulse's resume.

The plane will have a flight speed of around 180 kilometers per hour, and

the entire journey is expected to take around nine days.

However, Bertrand hopes his pioneering flight will be an important catalyst for the aviation industry.

We have to capitalize on the success of that project to push the hydrogen industry.

A lot of people say that you cannot decarbonize aviation Climate Impulse.

Against defeatism, against skepticism, against all the people who say there are no solutions.

But hope will come only if we have action.

I want to stimulate action sponsored by Patronus.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

This could be the first hydrogen-powered aircraft to fly non-stop around the globe

material

attempt

develop

expect