H2fly pushes the boundaries of hydrogen aircraft
This page is translated from the original post "H2fly repousse les limites de l’avion à hydrogène" in French.
- 19/04/2022 19:00
Breaking a height of 2.2 km, the HY4 sets a record for a hydrogen-powered aircraft, motivating the company to develop its 40-seat regional aircraft.
It’s not just electric or alternative fuels to decarbonize aviation. Hydrogen is also a future energy source, as demonstrated by the German company H2fly. Founded in 2015, it flew its first prototype in 2016, the HY4.
The hydrogen aircraft is flying
On April 12, H2fly broke a record for a hydrogen aircraft. Its prototype HY4 exceeded 7,000 feet (2.13 km), reaching exactly 7,230 feet (2.2 km) in altitude. The hydrogen powers a fuel cell, which supplies energy to the electric motors.
The day before, the same aircraft achieved another first. “This is a remarkable success for H2fly; no hydrogen aircraft has ever flown between two major airports before,” states co-founder and CEO Josef Kallo.
On April 11, the HY4 traveled the 124 km between Stuttgart and Friedrichshafen airports. The destination is no coincidence, as the aircraft will operate at the AERO airshow in the city at the end of the month.
A 40-seat hydrogen airplane project
As its name suggests, the H2Fly HY4 can only carry 4 passengers. It’s suitable for short trips, but far from revolutionizing the aviation world, despite having completed 90 flights so far.
No worries, H2fly also has 3 more ambitious hydrogen aircraft projects underway. The first is an eVTOL flying taxi, with up to 6 passengers and 500 km range. The second is a 19-seat jet capable of traveling 1,500 km. Lastly, the future flagship will be a regional 40-seat aircraft with a range of 2,000 km.
This last one is the Dornier 328, developed with Deutsch Aircraft for 2025, with €30 million in funding already secured.
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