Progress Continues for H2FLY's HY4 Demonstrator

H2Fly, a German Hydrogen-Electric Demo Company has successfully completed a test flight using its liquid hydrogen-electric powered HY4 aircraft.

The HY4 demonstrator was able to set a company record with a 3-hour flight, showing some promising performance that points to a max range somewhere around 1,500 kilometers. Compared to the previous, gas-hydrogen fueled HY4, that's about double the range, all thanks to the improved energy carrying capacity of liquified fuel.

The developer aims to create long-ranged, quickly refueled hydrogen-electric powertrain systems for aircraft, as is the usual in the sustainable aviation niche. They too aim for the brass ring of liquid hydrogen fuels, offering far more energy efficiency than run-of-the-mill gaseous H2. H2FLY's most recent test flights have proven that it can indeed load up an aircraft with the fuel and use it to complete a 3-hour flight. Their HY4 demo aircraft was fitted with a hydrogen-electric fuel cell, fed by "cryogenically stored liquid hydrogen", which allowed for some promising performance while leaving plenty of kinks to iron out on the way to mass adoption.

“This achievement  marks a watershed moment in the use of hydrogen to power aircraft. Together with our partners, we have demonstrated the viability of liquid hydrogen to support medium and long-range emissions-free flight,” said Professor Josef Kallo, co-founder of H2FLY.

“We are now looking ahead to scaling up our technology for regional aircraft and other applications, beginning the critical mission of decarbonizing commercial aviation,” he added.

FMI: www.h2fly.de