– Hogreen Air, a local firm in South Korea, has unveiled a high-speed, long-range hydrogen fuel cell drone at the H2 Mobility Energy Environment Technology (MEET) conference in Seoul.
The company developed this long-duration surveillance and reconnaissance hydrogen unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for various mission execution.
The drone utilizes hydrogen, either in gas or liquid form.
5,800-Mile Remote Operation
This hydrogen-powered drone can fly for up to 14 hours. It features radio frequency and an LTE/5G communication system. The drone can carry a maximum payload of 10 kg.
What differentiates this drone from traditional drones is its range of operation. The drone recently flew remotely in Germany, while its operators were located nearly 5,778 miles away in South Korea.
It also flew autonomously in the US, 5,618 miles from the drone’s operators in South Korea.
This has significantly boosted drones’ long-range operations. Drones can be controlled from anywhere in the world as long as they are connected to a mobile network.
The drones also use fuel cells powered by liquified hydrogen, which is 800 times denser than hydrogen gas.
Unlike other drones, which can fly for 10 to 30 minutes using lithium batteries, the Hogreen Air drones can fly for more than 14 hours.
A spokesperson for Hogreen Air told IE at the show that the drone’s high speed, long endurance, better communication systems, and hydrogen fuel have made it possible to fly across the continents.
Hydrogen Drone
Hogreen Air specializes in establishing stable systems in the drone industry and provides customized services for various sectors such as defense, industry, education, and services.
The company aims to innovate in accident and safety management for UAVs by promoting drones’ efficient operation and services.
It was founded to focus on the proliferation of green energy through hydrogen fuel cells.
The company, known for manufacturing and selling various drone hardware, software, and comprehensive drone solutions, has developed the ‘Hydrogen Power Pack,’ a power generator system combining hydrogen fuel cells and tanks.
Hogreen Air holds numerous drone patents, including ‘LTE-Based High-Speed Encryption of Video Data’ and ‘Unmanned Pesticide Supply System.’
They are involved in drone development across various agriculture, defense, and AI industries.
Hogreen Air’s PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) fuel cell platform is characterized by high-performance air-cooled fuel cells that use minimal peripheral components, ensuring reliability and cost-effectiveness.
This system produces clean DC power from supplied hydrogen, emitting only pure water vapor when it combines with oxygen from the air.
Additionally, it operates with minimal noise and vibration, offering environmental advantages over conventional diesel generators.
In 2022, UK-based Intelligent Energy (IE) signed a memorandum of understanding with drone software specialist Hogreen Air in Yokohama.
Source: Interesting Engineering