Universal Hydrogen plane achieved a new milestone by taking a flight equipped with the largest hydrogen fuel cell used to power an aircraft. The maiden test flight of the aircraft was conducted in eastern Washington. The video of the test flight was shared via the social media handles of Universal Hydrogen, showing the branded plane during its flight. Sharing the news, co-founder and CEO Paul Eremenko called the moment the dawn of a "new golden age of aviation."
Although the modified Dash-8's 15-minute test flight was brief, it demonstrated that hydrogen may be an effective fuel for short-haul passenger aircraft. That is, assuming Universal Hydrogen and other players in the developing field of hydrogen flight are able to accomplish the technological and governmental advancements required to turn their product into a commonplace one.
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Dash-8 can typically carry up to 50 people on short flights. The cargo on the Dash-8 that took off on Thursday for the test flight from Moses Lake's Grant County International Airport was significantly different. Only two pilots, an engineer, and a lot of technology were aboard the plane nicknamed Lightning McClean by Universal Hydrogen, including an electric motor and a hydrogen fuel cell provided by two other firms.
So this happened today.. first test flight of the world's biggest hydrogen fuel cell airliner, powered by green hydrogen. It's been a very long, epic day. More deets tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/cqx020L2YV
— Paul Eremenko (@PaulEremenko) March 3, 2023
Coming to the interiors of the plane had two racks of electronics and sensors accompanied by two large hydrogen tanks with 30 kg of fuel to power the batteries. Furthermore, the plane employed a magniX electric motor on one wing of the plane capable of producing up to 800kW of power.. The other wing has a Pratt & Whitney turboprop engine with roughly twice as much power as the fuel-cell side.
In 2020, Eremenko co-founded Universal Hydrogen, and in a 2021 Series A fundraising round that was co-led by Playground Global, the company raised $20.5 million. Airbus, General Electric, American Airlines, JetBlue, and Toyota investments bring total funding to close to $100 million. The company has an engineering centre in Toulouse, France, and its main office is in Hawthorne, California, not far from SpaceX.
