A firm from Silicon Valley has made a multi-million pound investment in the county in a bid to develop zero emission air transport.

By creating a hydrogen fuel system, it hopes to become a global leader in a technology which could transform the impact of air travel on the environment.

Now HyPoint, which has its headquarters in California, is pumping £11m into its Kent team at Sandwich's Discovery Park with the creation of a new research, development and production centre at the site. In addition, it expects to create dozens of new jobs.

Low carbon hydrogen is being touted as an efficient replacement for traditional fossil fuels.

HyPoint is developing turbo air-cooled hydrogen fuel cell systems for aviation which it hopes will be adopted for use by fixed-wing aeroplanes, air taxis, drones and eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) vehicles.

Dr Alex Ivanenko, HyPoint’s founder and chief executive, said: “Our work is critical to unlocking further and faster decarbonisation of aviation and urban air mobility, whilst also creating economic activity and jobs across the country to support the long-term sustainability of the UK’s aviation industry.

"With its massive technical and academic talent pool, a globally-recognised ecosystem of hydrogen manufacturers, and strong transport decarbonisation targets, the UK is well-positioned to become a global leader in the hydrogen economy."

It says it expects to increase its team to more than 50 staff over the next two years and to more than 100 by the end of 2025.

Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said: “HyPoint is the kind of visionary tech company that we welcome.

This Government is developing an ambitious Jet Zero Strategy and we recognise the role that hydrogen could play in decarbonising the industry. This move is a strong vote of confidence in the UK and a major boost for green jobs in the local area.”

Aviation produced 2.4% of global CO2 emissions in 2018, which as a country would rank it sixth in the world between Japan and Germany and represents a greater share of global CO2 emissions than the 136 lowest-polluting countries combined.

Mayer Schreiber, CEO of Discovery Park, added: "Harnessing hydrogen for aviation offers the potential to transform our economy and at the same time, protect our environment by dramatically reducing CO2 emissions.

“HyPoint’s multimillion pound arrival clearly demonstrates their confidence in Discovery Park as a home for world-leading industrial biotechnology delivered through global partnership and innovation.”

Derek Murphy, Kent County Council cabinet member for economic development, said: “HyPoint’s anticipated £11m investment is a welcome boost for east Kent jobs and growth."