One of the arguments raised for the cause of drones joining other aircraft in the lower skies has been that the little tin birds are environmentally friendly as most of them run of electrical power, which obviously does not emit noxious gases into the atmosphere like some legacy fuels do.

Dutch company Avy has even been dabbling with the idea of adding solar cells to the fixed wings of their drones so they can fly forever.

But as of now, such reasoning can only be made for small drones that are used for data collection and delivery of small packages; and can only remain in the air for a short time.

Huge cargo drones though – like Dronamics’ Black Swan – are another matter altogether. Having to haul cargo as heavy as 350kg for distances up to 2,500km calls for a power supply far more durable than just electricity.

Perhaps that is why the cargo drone company has chosen to work with petroleum company Zero Petroleum as its fuel partner.

A British technology company that makes whole-blend synthetic, non-biological fuels – petrol, 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 will supply its fossil-free fuel to Dronamics, for testing with a view to commercial use in its long-range cargo drone.

The partnership’s goal is to support the creation of Dronamics’ sustainable same-day delivery service for items such as e-commerce goods, perishable food, manufacturing parts and medical supplies.

Dronamics says its new partner’s ZERO SynAVGAS will fuel the Black Swan’s (which is powered by a ROTAX propeller engine provided by CFS Aeroproducts) delivery journeys, enabling the company to deliver a carbon neutral operation in the process.

 “As a former Formula One engineer, I have spent my entire career working on cutting edge innovation so I am very excited for Zero Petroleum to partner with Dronamics and CFS Aeroproducts on this potentially ground-breaking project,” Zero Petroleum Co-Founder and CEO Paddy Lowe said.

“Operating an autonomous delivery network on this scale makes great sense but to carry these heavy payloads over such great distances would be impossible using electric power. Our fossil-free fuels, which have a carbon neutral lifecycle and can be produced in a factory on any site close to water and renewable power, are the ideal way to deliver this as a fully sustainable alternative to the existing air freight solution.”

The two companies further added that the use of Zero Petroleum fuels in place of legacy fossil and other forms of fuels will be key to Dronamics’ long-term sustainability plans. Research has it that transporting cargo using kerosene-fuelled belly freight produces 755g carbon dioxide emissions per tonne-km tank to wheels.

In contrast, Dronamics’ drones flown with synthetic fuel will operate in an entirely carbon neutral process.  

“Sustainability is a vital part of our plans and as the first drone cargo airline in the world we are delighted to have secured an agreement for Zero Petroleum to supply their fuel for Dronamics’ future drone network,” said Dronamics Co-Founder and CEO Svilen Rangelov.

“Not only is the fuel entirely sustainable and fossil-free, the modular manufacturing process has a small footprint so it fits perfectly into our future droneport plans, potentially enabling the fuel to be produced on site. We are very excited to work with the team at Zero Petroleum as we move towards commercial operations in the coming year.”

Dronamics recently became the first drone cargo company in the world to obtain a European drone airline license and is currently working with a consortium in the UK to build out a medical supply drone network for NHS Scotland.

Its fixed-wing aircraft is 8m long with a 16m wingspan and can operate from unpaved runways as short as 400 metres. It can fly up to 22,000ft in altitude and at speeds up to 125mph and dreams of fulfilling the missing middle mile in air freight, securing the provision of same-day deliveries to even the most remote areas of the world.

“ZERO® SynAVGAS® is a direct drop-in replacement for existing fossil-based fuel, delivering the same performance and range as existing products but entirely sustainably and fossil-free,” the Dronamics statement said.

“It is manufactured by extracting hydrogen from water and capturing carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide, a process that is entirely sustainable when using renewable energy sources such as wind or solar. When burned it emits exactly the same amount of carbon as is used in its production, creating a fully circular process.”