Will a hydrogen-fueled drone float?

Project Rachel is a drone co-developed by Intelligent Energy, BATCAM and Productiv under the auspices of Innovate UK funded by the UK government.

The biggest feature of this drone is that it uses a hydrogen fuel cell instead of a lithium-ion battery that is normally used as an energy source for drones. In the case of the prototype equipped with hydrogen fuel in a 6-liter cylinder, it is said to have set a continuous flight record of over 70 minutes even with a 5 kg load. You might think it’s only this time, but even high-end models like DJI’s Mattress 600 Pro only have 16 minutes of continuous flight time based on a 6kg payload.

The development team is not able to achieve sufficient capabilities because the drone efficiency is limited by flight time and load capacity. Project Rachel is hoping to open up new possibilities for the commercial use of drones. In the next few years, there is a possibility that the drone market using hydrogen fuel cells will achieve great development. If it’s a normal drone, it takes only tens of minutes to fly, but if you change it to a hydrogen fuel cell, you can lightly increase the flight time by three times or more. If you take advantage of its strong performance, you can also develop a drone that can load 20kg. Unlike lithium-ion batteries that require long-term charging, hydrogen fuel can be quickly filled and has the advantage of eco-friendly clean energy. Related information can be found here .