H2FLY Announces the Development of a New Generation of Fuel Cell System for Commercial Aircraft

  • H2FLY announces the next generation of a high altitude (up to 27,000 ft) fuel cell system as it moves closer to realizing sustainable commercial air travel
  • The development program will provide a series of fuel cell systems that can be combined and upscaled to power hydrogen-electric aircraft in the megawatt-class range, with 20 to 80 seats
  • Planning is underway to test the new system later this year

Stuttgart, June 16, 2023 – H2FLY, the world’s leading developer of hydrogen-electric powertrain systems for aircraft, announces the next generation of its new, proprietary fuel cell system – a high-performance and modular power unit designed to be used in commercial aircraft applications.

The development program will provide a series of fuel cell systems that can be combined and upscaled to power hydrogen-electric aircraft in the megawatt-class range, which complies with aircraft that comprise of 20 to 80 seats. H2FLY is responsible for the development, integration and testing of the overall fuel cell systems hardware and software.

Discussing the announcement of the program, Josef Kallo, CEO and co-founder of H2FLY said: “We introduce a completely new generation of aviation-grade fuel cell systems, pushing forward the state of the art in the industry. By developing this new system, but also working to solve the challenges of using liquid hydrogen with fuel cells in the HEAVEN project, H2FLY is bringing together all crucial elements to realize truly sustainable, commercial air travel.”

H2FLY’s systems will be capable of providing their full power range in flight altitudes of up to 27,000 ft, marking an important step on the path from lower altitude viability flight demonstrations to real-world commercial aircraft applications.

H2FLY is planning to test the first generation of its system in aircraft flight demonstrations late this year. In addition, as part of the German government’s “328 H2-FC” project, the company intends to integrate the novel fuel cell systems into a Dornier 328 demonstrator aircraft.

Funded by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), “328 H2-FC” is a joint project with other partners aiming to develop a hydrogen-electric fuel cell system in the megawatt range and test it in flight demonstrations.

Over the past decade, H2FLY has led the way in hydrogen-electric powertrain systems for aircraft, building and testing six generations of powertrains to date. Last year, the company’s testbed aircraft HY4 set what is believed to be a world record for hydrogen-electric passenger aircraft flying at an altitude of 7,230 ft. Furthermore, the company leads the European initiative HEAVEN – a project to demonstrate the feasibility of using liquid, cryogenic hydrogen with fuel cells in aircraft.

About H2FLY
H2FLY was founded by five engineers from the German Aerospace Center in Stuttgart and the University of Ulm, H2FLY GmbH is working to deliver to market the first qualified, fully hydrogen-electric aircraft powertrain. By bringing hydrogen fuel cell technology to the next level, H2FLY will unlock the era of emission-free, sustainable air travel. The company develops hydrogen-electric propulsion systems for aircraft and is a global leader in the development and testing of such systems. The HY4, the world’s first hydrogen-electric passenger aircraft, first took off in 2016, demonstrating both the feasibility and potential of this technology for the aviation of the future. H2FLY has a powerful network of partners in industry and science and is currently working to accelerate its technology development and commercialization with the support of German and European partnerships. In just a few years, hydrogen-electric aircraft are expected to be able to transport 40 passengers over distances of up to 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles).

For more information, please visit: www.h2fly.de