The start-up that wanted to make a plane with liquid hydrogen modules has not succeeded to convince new investors. So it has had to close its doors, leaving the field open to ZeroAvia and Airbus in particular.

The information was released in the Seattle Times and commented on by one of the company’s co-founders, Jon Gordon, on LinkedIn. He expresses his dismay at not having been able to convince investors that SAF alone is not enough to decarbonise aviation, and that hydrogen also has its place. Nevertheless, not so long ago, the company was still in the limelight. Fast Company magazine named it one of the most innovative companies of the year.

The Seattle Times article states that Universal Hydrogen spent around 100 million dollars. But no one wanted to pitch in again. For this reason, Chairman and CEO Mark Cousin has informed the Board of Directors that he will be pulling the plug on the project. Jon Gordon paid tribute to the 100 engineers. He recalled that Universal Hydrogen had obtained phase 1 certification from the FAA and that 17 companies from 12 countries were ready to take on the challenge.

The company was founded in 2020 and had a subsidiary in Toulouse (South- West of France). The failure of one company does not mean, however, that hydrogen-powered aircraft will never happen. And Jon Gordon is counting on ZeroAvia and Airbus to make it happen.

Do you want to learn more about Universal Hydrogen before it went bankrupt? Then our latest articles about the company should interest you. You can access all our articles written about Universal Hydrogen here.

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Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Mariem Ben Tili