More Powerful, Still Emission Free: ZAL GmbH Partners with Wingcopter for Hydrogen Drone Project

2023-03-23

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Wingcopter hydrogen drone Wingcopter and ZAL GmbH Begin Joint Development of Hydrogen Power Source

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

German delivery drone company Wingcopter and ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research GmbH have announced a development partnership to explore green hydrogen as a potential power source for Wingcopter’s electric drones. The partners will also develop a sustainable hydrogen-based propulsion system, which will be produced by Wingcopter and installed in its delivery drones.

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The goal of replacing the Wingcopter 198’s power source with hydrogen is for the drone to become more powerful while remaining emission free. While the Wingcopter already achieves higher ranges and speeds than most competitors’ models, hydrogen propulsion could enable it to achieve even longer flight times and greater distances for delivery.

The Wingcopter’s modification project will take place at ZAL‘s Fuel Cell Lab in Hamburg. The partners will develop a solution able to fit into the Wingcopter’s current technical ecosystem while maintaining the drone’s characteristic flight capabilities. Previously, the company’s engineers were able to achieve a flight duration of over two hours with the ZALbatros hydrogen drone. This was made possible by utilizing compressed gaseous hydrogen in combination with a fuel cell, similar to the methods that will be employed in the Wingcopter.

“We are very excited about the collaboration and are confident that together we can develop an even more efficient propulsion solution that benefits nature at the same time. We have always wanted the Wingcopter to be able to fly even further,” said Wingcopter co-founder and CEO Tom Plümmer. “However, we categorically ruled out the installation of a conventional combustion engine right from the start with a view to the environment and climate change. We are happy to now explore technical possibilities in the field of hydrogen propulsion together with the ZAL experts and then put the best concept into practice.”

“Our mission is to bring hydrogen into the air and create innovative solutions for sustainable aviation,” said ZAL GmbH CEO Roland Gerhards. “With Wingcopter as our partner, we’re not only impressed by their drones’ flight performance, but also by their clear vision of how urban air mobility and especially drone delivery can help improve people’s lives. This aligns perfectly with ZAL’s values. With our expertise, we want to convert the Wingcopter to hydrogen and thus strengthen the Hamburg UAM network Windrove with another flagship project.”

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Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.

Miriam McNabb

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.

TWITTER:@spaldingbarker

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德国无人机运输公司Wingcopter和ZAL应用航空研究中心宣布建立发展伙伴关系，探索绿色氢气作为Wingcopter电动无人机的潜在动力来源。合作伙伴还将开发一种可持续的氢基推进系统，该系统将由Wingcopter生产，并安装在其送货无人机上。继续阅读下文，或倾听:用氢气取代翼直升机198的动力源的目标是让无人机变得更强大，同时保持零排放。虽然Wingcopter已经实现了比大多数竞争对手型号更高的航程和速度，但氢气推进可以使其实现更长的飞行时间和更远的交付距离。翼翼直升机的改装项目将在汉堡的ZAL燃料电池实验室进行。合作伙伴将开发一种能够适应Wingcopter当前技术生态系统的解决方案，同时保持无人机的特征飞行能力。此前，该公司的工程师能够使用ZALbatros氢能无人机实现超过两个小时的飞行时间。这是通过将压缩的气态氢与燃料电池结合使用而实现的，类似于Wingcopter将采用的方法。“我们对这次合作感到非常兴奋，并相信我们可以共同开发出一种更高效的推进解决方案，同时造福自然。我们一直希望Wingcopter能够飞得更远，”Wingcopter联合创始人兼首席执行官Tom Plümmer说。“然而，考虑到环境和气候变化，我们从一开始就断然排除了安装传统内燃机的可能性。我们现在很高兴与ZAL专家一起探索氢推进领域的技术可能性，然后将最佳概念付诸实践。”ZAL首席执行官Roland ger表示:“我们的使命是将氢气引入空气，为可持续航空创造创新的解决方案。”“有了Wingcopter作为我们的合作伙伴，我们不仅对他们无人机的飞行性能印象深刻，而且对他们对城市空中机动，特别是无人机配送如何帮助改善人们生活的清晰愿景印象深刻。这与ZAL的价值观完全一致。凭借我们的专业知识，我们希望将Wingcopter转换为氢气，从而通过另一个旗舰项目加强汉堡UAM网络。阅读更多:伊恩就读于加州多明尼加大学，并于2019年获得英语学士学位。他一生热爱写作和讲故事，对技术有着浓厚的兴趣，现在是DroneLife的特约撰稿人。TWITTER:@ spaldingbarker订阅DroneLife。

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