US-based startup Universal Hydrogen successfully tested its small aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel cells during 15 minutes at an altitude of 3,500 feet or roughly 1 kilometer. The test flight took place in March this year in the Moses Lake area, in central Washington. The plane, a De Havilland Dash 8-300 turboprop dubbed Lightning McClean, features one normal engine and one electric motor fed by a hydrogen fuel cell.
Our first flight, [of] by far the largest hydrogen fuel cell airplane ever to take to the skies, is an important proof point for the industry, and especially for the next ‘clean-sheet’ airliner from both Airbus and Boeing.
Paul Eremenko, Universal Chief Executive for the Financial Times
For Universal Hydrogen, founded in 2020, the test was a key opportunity to prove that hydrogen power is a viable way to decarbonise air travel. Hydrogen is considered a promising alternative to conventional fossil fuels for aviation due to its high energy density and potential for zero-emission operations.
The US company’s flight test came just two months after Anglo-US start-up ZeroAvia achieved a successful test flight of a smaller paddle aircraft partially powered by hydrogen fuel cells, in the UK.
These flight tests are meant to evaluate the performance, efficiency, safety, and scalability of hydrogen-powered aviation technology, with the ultimate goal of transitioning to more sustainable and environmentally friendly aircraft propulsion systems.
Universal’s Eremenko, who holds expertise from his past service as former Chief Technology Officer at Airbus and United Technologies, is confident that hydrogen offers the right path forward for the industry.
Eremenko says that Universal Hydrogen is not competing with the likes of Airbus or Boeing, but trying to solve a problem facing all aircraft manufacturers: “How to get hydrogen from the point of production to the airport and into the aeroplane without a massive, global, simultaneous capital infrastructure investment.”
Universal Hydrogen initially plans to sell “conversion kits” for regional aircraft — modular hydrogen capsules that will be stored at the rear of the fuselage. Later on, a fuel cell electric power-train would replace existing turboprop engines. This approach, says Eremenko, will be cheaper than using a clean-sheet design and also faster to certify with regulators. Eremenko suggested that a hydrogen retrofit of a regional airliner could be in service as early as 2025/2026.
But the main pillar of Universal’s business model is grounded on delivering its hydrogen in modular capsules to be used by Boeing and Airbus single-aisle aircraft. The capsules will be compatible with existing freight networks and airport cargo handling equipment and the aircraft would not require a radical redesign, Eremenko said. Instead of being powered by the electrical power from the fuel cells, they would have jet engines that can burn hydrogen.
