Universal Hydrogen completes first taxi tests; granted experimental airworthiness certificate by FAA; Air New Zealand agreement
08 February 2023
Universal Hydrogen was granted a special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to proceed with the first flight of its hydrogen-powered regional aircraft. The company also released video footage of successful first taxi tests of the aircraft, designed to evaluate ground handling qualities and the performance of the fuel-cell electric powertrain at low power settings and airspeeds.
The Dash 8-300 flying testbed has a megawatt-class hydrogen fuel cell powertrain installed in one of its nacelles. The powertrain is in a configuration that closely resembles the company’s first product—a conversion kit for ATR 72-600 regional airliners—which is expected to be certified and in commercial passenger service starting in 2025.
Universal Hydrogen’s powertrain does not utilize a hybrid battery architecture; all of the power is transmitted directly from the fuel cells to the electric motor, significantly decreasing weight and lifecycle cost.
The FAA approval clears the way for the first flight of the Dash 8-300 flying testbed which will take place at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington. The aircraft will be by far the largest hydrogen fuel cell-powered airplane to take to the skies, and second as a hydrogen-powered aircraft only to the Soviet flight test in 1988 of a Tupolev Tu-155 airliner with one of its jet engines converted to burn hydrogen.
Air New Zealand. Separately, Universal Hydrogen announced a strategic agreement with Air New Zealand as part of the airline’s expanding Mission Next Gen Aircraft program. Air New Zealand named Universal Hydrogen to its long-term partner program as it seeks to find sustainable solutions for its fleet.
Universal Hydrogen is developing a solution to convert existing regional airplanes to fly on hydrogen and to supply hydrogen to the fleet using a modular fueling approach, which eliminates the need for new airport infrastructure, speeds up the fueling operation, and reduces transfer losses throughout the hydrogen delivery chain. On completion of testing and certification, Universal Hydrogen’s conversion kits could be installed in Air New Zealand’s regional fleet.
As the second-largest turboprop operator in the world, Air New Zealand is a trendsetter for the industry. We fully expect other airlines to follow in Air New Zealand’s footsteps toward a true zero emissions solution for their fleets. We’re thrilled to be selected alongside Air New Zealand’s other long-term partners—Airbus, ATR, Embraer, and Heart Aerospace—to quickly address aviation’s contributions to the climate crisis.
—Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen
' Universal Hydrogen’s powertrain does not utilize a hybrid battery architecture; all of the power is transmitted directly from the fuel cells to the electric motor, significantly decreasing weight and lifecycle cost. '
That fuel cell must have a heck of a power output.
Presumably they have something equivalent to Zero Avia's acquisition of Hypoint's HT fuel cell:
https://interactive.aviationtoday.com/regional-turboprops-showing-potential-for-hydrogen-power-in-the-near-future/
Posted by: Davemart | 08 February 2023 at 07:22 AM
For the longer range, heavier, non fuel cell versions, Universal reckon:
'The majority of aviation emissions are produced by the single aisle (also known as narrowbody) fleet, dominated by the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families of aircraft. Both Boeing and Airbus are likely to develop a replacement for these venerable models for entry into service in the mid 2030s. The only way aviation can meet Paris Agreement emissions targets is if the new single aisle airplanes are hydrogen powered. We are committed to helping make it so by providing a global hydrogen distribution network that delivers green hydrogen to any commercial airport in the world at a cost far below that of jet fuel. Our regional product will provide an irrefutable proof point that green hydrogen is feasible, affordable, safe, and welcomed by passengers—in time to ensure that the new single aisle is a true zero carbon emissions airplane. A hydrogen single aisle does not need to be a radical new design. Accommodating enough hydrogen for transatlantic range without sacrificing passenger capacity would add 9 meters to the length of a conventional A321 fuselage, still keeping it shorter than the 757-300. It can be a tube-and-wings airplane with a hydrogen-burning jet engine and a modest fuselage stretch housing modular fuel capsules and giving the airplane trans-continental or transatlantic range capability.'
https://hydrogen.aero/product/
So pretty ambitious on every level, from driving the cost of hydrogen down, to their modular system of containment with the notion that they can bring any premium for having to stretch the fusilage of planes to allow installation of bulky hydrogen modules to acceptable levels.
Boeing and others are more convinced by SAF for the present and the near future.
Just a note for casual readers that Universal Hydrogen are proposing two different systems, fuel cell and hydrogen powered for light local aircraft, and for longer range and heavier duty hydrogen fuelled jets.
Posted by: Davemart | 08 February 2023 at 07:31 AM