Hydrogen fuel cells that generate electricity to power vehicles is a technology that continues to develop on the quiet, and it seems to be very much alive still, despite competition from "normal" battery driven transportation.
Across the Tasman, Deakin University, which operates the Hycel technology hub dedicated to hydrogen fuel cells, is now looking at using the power source in light aircraft. To that extent, Deakin has partnered with AMSL Aero for the development of Vertiia which is a small passenger airplane.
Vertiia has been in works for a while, and it's a very futuristic box-wing design. The aircraft has eight propellers that can be angled, and it can take off and land vertically (VTOL).
The specifications for the craft are pretty impressive: 1000 kilometre range and 300 km/h speed. A payload of 500 kg is pretty good, the refuelling time is 10 minutes and better yet, sound levels are good at 65 to 70 decibel.
In fact, the Vertiia appears to be the very aircraft ferry-phobic Waihekeans have been waiting for, one that makes their helicopters seem loud and crude. It can't hurt that the promised operating costs are around 70 per cent lower than a helicopter.
Passenger, medical and light freight are some of the applications for Vertiia. You could probably build a mean drone out of it as well, for military use.
And yes, it has flown already: Vertiia test flights were successfully conducted last year.
Hydrogen fuel cells have their detractors. Producing hydrogen in a way that's environmentally friendly isn't the simplest; if fossil fuels are used hydrogen production, well, that would defeat the purpose of the technology.
"Green" hydrogen, which is produced with electrolysis powered by renewables such as solar, wind and hydro is a must.
Storing and transporting hydrogen comes with safety and infrastructure (as in, the relative lack thereof) challenges. Fuel cell vehicles aren't as efficient as battery ones, but there's no arguing against fast top-up times compared to longish charging.
It all depends on the intended use-case for the technology so we'll see if it can be successfully commercialised at scale.
This diagram should provide an idea of how the hydrogen fuel cell process works:
Closer to home, or imported our island abode, South Korean vehicle maker Hyundai is big on hydrogen fuel cells. Hyundai makes the NEXO passenger car, the Mighty light duty truck, and the XCIENT heavy lorry.
Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) are on a modest scale currently, with Hyundai saying there are three NEXO cars in the country, and two XCIENT lorries, one of which is in service with NZ Post. Switzerland is more ambitious when it comes to FCEV haulage, with 47 trucks, with the fleet expected to grow to 1600 by end of the year (it's possible that the figures need to be updated by Hyundai).
Globally, there are dozens of companies actively developing hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. Major players like Toyota, Honda, BMW, and General Motors are some of them.
A smaller number of companies in the aviation sector such as ZeroAvia, Universal Hydrogen, H2FLY, Destinus, and JetZero are working to bring hydrogen-powered aircraft from concept to certification.
It's early days, and it's not guaranteed the FCEV route will lead to success. Earlier last month, electric truck maker Nikola went under and filed for bankruptcy. Still though: you can see what the attraction of the technology is: zero emissions, its relative quietness, and quick refuelling. The road to commercialisation is still long, but now FCEVs have got off the ground (so to speak).
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