CHINA’S first ton-level liquid hydrogen powered electric unmanned vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft completed its test flight in the city of Baoji, in China’s northwestern Shaanxi province, opening new avenues for the commercialization of liquid hydrogen and the development of the low-altitude economy, said Shaanxi Fabu, the province’s official social media account, on Monday.
The eVTOL was developed through a collaboration involving 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, the aircraft can fly continuously for about four to five hours, covering a range of 800 to 1,000 kilometers at an average speed of 240 km per hour, Beijing-run paper Global Times learned from Shaanxi Tongchen Heguang Cryogenic Technology Co., which provided the liquid hydrogen for the test flight.
Li Yongxin, chief engineer of Shaanxi Tongchen Heguang Cryogenic Technology, told the Global Times that liquid hydrogen offers significant advantages over traditional fuels and lithium batteries.
As a hydrogen-based energy source, liquid hydrogen stands out as a pollution-free clean energy option. Its fuel cells can operate effectively even in extremely low-temperature environments, unlike lithium batteries, which suffer from considerable energy losses in such conditions. Its endurance also far surpasses that of lithium batteries, Li said.
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, Li said.
Li also said liquid hydrogen-powered unmanned eVTOLs had broad application prospects, extending into fields such as firefighting, transportation and agriculture, and encompassing tasks like irrigation, sowing and fruit picking.
China’s low-altitude economy appears to be taking off at an impressive speed, with the Civil Aviation Administration of China estimating that the country’s low-altitude market will soar from 500 billion yuan ($68.19 billion) in 2023 to 1.5 trillion yuan in 2025 and as much as 3.5 trillion yuan in 2035, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
Be the first to comment