Universal Hydrogen’s hydrogen-electric regional plane is on the brink of its maiden flight

This week, British company ZeroAvia received the go-ahead from the local authority to carry out the first test flights of its hydrogen-powered electric demonstrator plane. However, it was not alone in the news, as another company, Universal Hydrogen, also gave an update along the same lines. As ZeroAvia prepares to take off with the modified Dornier 228, Universal Hydrogen said it has virtually completed ground testing with its powertrain, installed on a Dash 8-300 regional aircraft. All this indicates that 2023 will mark the first flight of these two innovative projects. It should be noted, however, that both projects are lagging behind the original project, which foresaw its first flights in 2022. Universal Hydrogen’s business plan foresees that it will be a part of the entire sustainable aviation ecosystem of the future, not only installing power trains in place of traditional combustion engines, but also supplying fuel and taking care of your entire logistics chain. The company’s proposal is to offer hydrogen fuel services to airports using a modular capsule technology that allows the transport and handling of hydrogen using an intermodal network and cargo handling equipment. This would eliminate the need for costly and time-consuming upgrades to airport infrastructure and makes nearly every airport in the world hydrogen-ready. Knowing the scale potential that this represents, the project attracted the attention of several major investors. Universal Hydrogen is expected to begin delivering converted 70-seat ATR 72 and ATR 42 turboprops in 2025 under a Supplemental Type Certificate issued by the FAA. It also intends to produce hydrogen-powered versions of the 50-seat Dash 8 aircraft. – Avião regional hidrogênio-elétrico da Universal Hydrogen está à beira de seu voo inaugural (aeroin.net)