H2FLY completes ground hydrogen filling tests

For electric aircraft to have any future there will need to be ground infrastructure for recharging batteries or refuelling a hydrogen fuel cell.

H2FLY, a German developer of hydrogen fuel cell systems for aircraft, has successfully passed ground-based liquid hydrogen filling tests with a newly developed liquid hydrogen tank. The tank is integrated into its HY4 aircraft.

The tests are part of the European project HEAVEN, a five-strong consortium, to demonstrate the feasibility of using a liquid, cryogenic hydrogen-powered fuel cell powertrain in aircraft. H2FLY led the test campaign on Air Liquide’s Campus Technologies Grenoble, in Sassenage, France together with Air Liquide.

Prof. Dr. Josef Kallo, co-founder and CEO of H2FLY, said, “The successful on-ground filling tests today, mark the next milestone in our pursuit to doubling the range of our HY4 aircraft. It is a critical step for our upcoming flight test campaign this summer, which will demonstrate the feasibility of liquid hydrogen as a fuel for medium and long-haul flight.”

H2FLY has been researching, testing, and refining, resulting in the development of the HY4, a four-seat aircraft with hydrogen-electric propulsion, that first took flight in 2016.

There have been several key milestones across the past three years, including:

• In 2020 H2FLY was granted a permit to fly the latest generation of the HY4 aircraft, which featured a fully redundant powertrain architecture.
• In 2021 the company signed a strategic partnership with aircraft manufacturer Deutsche Aircraft that will see the companies work together to fly a CS25 class aircraft powered by H2FLY’s hydrogen fuel cell technology
• Last year, the company completed a cross-country flight from Stuttgart, Germany to Friedrichshafen, covering 77 miles, marking the first time a hydrogen-powered passenger plane has flown between two commercial airports
• Also last year, the company set what is believed to be a world altitude record for a hydrogen aircraft, flying at 7,230ft, confirming the company’s position as a leader in this new category.

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