Universal Hydrogen has received experimental airworthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), opening the door for the first flight of its hydrogen-powered regional aircraft.
The Dash 8-300 that the company is using as a test platform has a hydrogen fuel cell-based propulsion system installed in one of its nacelles. The propulsion assembly does not use batteries. Instead, all power is transmitted directly from the fuel cells to the electric motor, which significantly reduces the weight and cost of the equipment. UH expects the propulsor set to be certified and in commercial passenger service by 2025.
«We are providing a pragmatic, near-term solution for hydrogen infrastructure and supply, and for passenger aircraft conversion,» stated Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen. «Steps like today’s are essential to put the industry on a trajectory to meet the Paris Agreement.»
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The FAA approval clears the way for the first flight of Universal Hydrogen, which will take place at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington. When it takes off, the aircraft will become the largest aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel cells. It will also be the second largest aircraft in history to use hydrogen, second only to the 1988 flight test of a Tupolev Tu-155, in which one of its jet engines was converted to burn hydrogen.
From the infrastructure point of view, Universal Hydrogen presented the first operational tests of its modular hydrogen supply system in December 2022. There, it demonstrated a scalable approach to supplying hydrogen to airports using modular capsule technology, eliminating the need for new infrastructure.
