site.btaDronamics Partners with Zero Petroleum for Synthetic Fuel Transport

British technology company Zero Petroleum will supply its revolutionary synthetic fuel to the world's first licensed drone cargo airline, Dronamics.

The partnership aims to help power Dronamics' drones with zero-emission fuel, bringing the company one step closer to its goal of ensuring sustainable same-day deliveries.

Zero Petroleum's ZERO SynAVGAS fuel will be used in Dronamics' Black Swan drone, providing carbon neutral operation. The drone, which can carry a 350 kg payload over distances of up to 2,500 km, is powered by a ROTAX aircraft engine provided by CFS Aeroproducts.

Dronamics recently became the first drone freight company in the world to receive a European drone airline licence, and is currently working with a UK consortium to build a network of medical delivery drones for NHS Scotland.

Dronamics co-founder and CEO Svilen Rangelov said: "Sustainability is a vital part of our plans and as the world's first drone cargo airline, we are delighted to have been able to conclude an agreement with Zero Petroleum to supply fuel for Dronamics' future drone network. Not only is the fuel completely sustainable and fossil fuel free, but the modular manufacturing process has a small footprint so it fits perfectly with our future drone plans, potentially allowing the fuel to be produced on site. We are very excited to be working with the Zero Petroleum team as we move into commercial operations next year."

Dronamics drones flying on synthetic fuel will operate in a completely carbon neutral process.

ZERO SynAVGAS is a direct replacement for existing fossil-based fuel, providing the same performance and range as existing products, but in an entirely sustainable and fossil-free way. It is produced by extracting hydrogen from water and sequestering carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide, a process that is completely sustainable when using renewable energy sources such as wind or solar. Burning it releases exactly the same amount of carbon that was used in its production, creating a completely circular process.

The new partnership with Dronamics is the latest commercial tie-up for Zero Petroleum and follows the signing of a contract in July with the Royal Air Force on the development of aviation fuel for fast jets. The UK-based company completed a second round of funding in July and is in the process of setting up a new technical development facility to begin low-volume synthetic fuel production in the coming months.

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Zero Petroleum is a British technology company that makes whole-blend synthetic, non-biological fuels – petrol (gasoline), diesel and jet fuel – in a completely fossil-free process, using just carbon dioxide taken from the air and renewable hydrogen made from water. Zero Petroleum calls this process petrosynthesis. Synthetic fuels, which can be made at scale, can be dropped straight into the existing engines of cars, aircraft, commercial and agricultural vehicles, allowing them to run sustainably in exactly the same way and with the same performance as they do on fossil fuels, without the need for any engine modification. Synthetic fuels eliminate greenhouse gas accumulation through the creation of a circular carbon cycle, and so eliminate the need for fossil fuels in global industries such as aviation. Petrosynthesis is the answer to the problem faced by industries that cannot be electrified – it provides a total substitute for fossil fuel and ultimately all types of fossil petroleum used in the petrochemical industry for the wide range of materials that are essential to modern life.

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Dronamics is the leading developer and operator of large, long-range drones built specifically for cargo. Its flagship Black Swan is able to carry 350kg (770lb) at a distance of up to 2,500km (1,550mi), and can land on airstrips as short as 400m, enabling same-day shipping over very long distances for a variety of industries, from pharma to food, from e-commerce to spare parts and for a cost 50% lower than other aircraft. The company is Europe's first licensed drone cargo airline and IATA's first strategic partner for drones worldwide.