Wingcopter and ZAL GmbH start joint development of hydrogen power source
DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby
German delivery drone company wing copter and ZAL Applied Aviation Research Center announced a development partnership to explore green hydrogen as a potential power source for Wingcopter’s electric drones. Partners will also develop sustainable hydrogen-based propulsion systems. It will be built by Wingcopter and mounted on a delivery drone.
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The goal of replacing the Wingcopter 198’s power supply with hydrogen is to make the drone more powerful while remaining pollution-free. The Wingcopter already has greater range and speed than most competitor models, but hydrogen propulsion could potentially enable even longer flight times and longer-distance deliveries.
The Wingcopter conversion project will take place at ZAL’s Fuel Cell Laboratory in Hamburg. The partners will develop solutions that can fit into Wingcopter’s current technology ecosystem while maintaining the drone’s distinctive flight capabilities. Previously, the company’s engineer said that with the ZALbatros hydrogen drone he was able to achieve more than two hours of flight time. This is made possible by utilizing compressed gaseous hydrogen in combination with a fuel cell, similar to the method employed by the Wingcopter.
“We are very excited about this collaboration and are confident that together we will develop even more efficient propulsion solutions that will benefit nature at the same time. We always wanted it,” said Wingcopter co-founder and CEO Tom Plummer. “However, due to environmental and climate change considerations, we categorically ruled out the use of a conventional internal combustion engine from the outset. We are happy to put the best concept into practice.”
Roland Gerhards, CEO of ZAL GmbH, said: “By partnering with Wingcopter, we are impressed not only with the flight performance of their drones, but also with their clear vision of how urban air travel, especially drone delivery, can improve people’s lives. , perfectly aligned with ZAL’s values.We want to leverage our expertise to transform the Wingcopter into hydrogen and strengthen the Hamburg UAM network Windrove with another flagship project.”
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Ian attended Dominican University in California and graduated with a BA in English in 2019. With his lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and keen interest in technology, he now contributes to his DroneLife as a staff writer.
Miriam McNabb, editor-in-chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of professional drone services marketplace JobForDrones, is a fascinating observer of the emerging drone industry and drone regulatory environment. With her 3,000+ articles focused on the commercial drone space, Miriam is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and high tech she has over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing new technologies.
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