Universal Hydrogen, the start-up specialised in hydrogen aircraft, ran a MW powertrain on the ground using its proprietary liquid hydrogen module. A major first that paves the way for carbon-free aviation.

Universal Hydrogen carried out this pivotal test in California, at Mojave airport. The “Iron Bird” test rig ran for 1 hour and 40 minutes, with a drive chain of several MW. It was powered by the company’s famous liquid hydrogen modules, in the form of cartridges, developed by the French branch in Toulouse. Two modules are enough for the aircraft to fly for 500 nautical miles (900 km). The press release states that this is the first time that the powertrain and modules have been operated together.

“This end-to-end demonstration of a hydrogen molecule moving from our filler/dispenser into our storage module and then into our powertrain is the first time that all the pieces of our product portfolio for regional aviation have come together,” stated Paul Eremenko, CEO of Universal Hydrogen.

You can check out the video here.

The liquid hydrogen modules contain 200 kg. This solution’s advantage is that it comes in the form of a container, which is easy to transport in cargo mode. The module features a leak detection system and converts liquid hydrogen into gaseous hydrogen for on-board use. The start-up stresses the safety of this module.

Next up would be to fly all of these components together. Universal Hydrogen is aiming for a commissioning in 2026.

To learn more about Universal Hydrogen, you can check out our articles here. 

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Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Mariem Ben Tili