China’s Global Times reports the country’s “first ton-level liquid hydrogen powered electric unmanned vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft completed its test flight in Baoji city, Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. This achievement opens new avenues for the commercialization of liquid hydrogen and the development of the low-altitude economy, said Shaanxi Fabu, the official social media account of Shaanxi Province on Monday.
“The eVTOL was developed through a collaboration among several companies, including Shaanxi Tongchen Heguang Cryogenic Technology Co Ltd, Dreamfly Technology Co Ltd and Qing Power Technology Co Ltd.
“After a single refueling with liquid hydrogen, it can fly continuously for about four to five hours, covering a range of 800 to 1,000 kilometers at an average speed of 240 kilometers per hour, the Global Times learned from Shaanxi Tongchen Heguang Cryogenic Technology Co, which provided the liquid hydrogen for this test flight.
The company made history in July last year with the maiden flight of its first liquid hydrogen-powered drone prototype. The drone was equipped with a lightweight cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage tank and a hydrogen fuel cell system.
According to Li Yongxin, chief engineer of Shaanxi Tongchen Heguang Cryogenic Technology Co, quoted in the Global Times, the test flight has provided a promising practical scenario for the application of liquid hydrogen, paving the way for the widespread adoption of this new energy.
According to the company’s website:
“In July 2023, Shaanxi Weiner Digital Technology Co., Ltd., the leader of the Shaanxi hydrogen energy industry chain, jointly with professors from Xi’an Jiaotong University, established Tongchen Heguang Cryogenic Technology, focusing on the development and transformation of liquid hydrogen application technology. The company mainly focuses on the technical research and development of hydrogen liquefaction, efficient storage, transportation and hydrogen safety, and is committed to solving the development of liquid hydrogen storage and transportation and application technology. Through original innovation in the field of low-temperature hydrogen energy, the company continues to master core key technologies, and closely cooperates with universities and industries to promote the transformation, application and industrial incubation of scientific and technological innovation results in the liquid hydrogen industry. At present, the company has mastered hydrogen liquefaction technology and can independently design and develop small and medium-sized liquid hydrogen tanks, liquid hydrogen filling systems and liquid hydrogen fuel supply systems. In the future, it will also be used in fields such as long-distance and long-endurance large-scale transportation vehicles.”
For more information
https://www.tchgtech.com/
(Image: Photo: Courtesy of Shaanxi Tongchen Heguang Cryogenic Technology Co Ltd)