Intelligent Energy poised to provide hydrogen fuel cells for future aircraft

UK-based firm Intelligent Energy is working to develop hydrogen fuel cell systems for military and surveillance drones and high-performance cells for Part 23 and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. 

Chief commercial officer Greg Harris says that this year’s Farnborough air show represents the first time Intelligent Energy’s IE-Flight F300 fuel cell system has been on display to potential customers. The company also recently released a white paper outlining the system’s performance and the “benefit of our technology over some of the other technology in the market for fuel cells”, he adds.

Intelligent Energy’s fuel cell systems are more compact than those of competitors, requiring half the number of cells of conventional systems because it has eliminated the need for cooling cells. 

“We’re meeting engine manufacturers who are looking at the future of where powertrains are going to go, engaging with those customers on what their future requirements are and how they might be using our technology going forward,” he says.

The company’s products need another “year or so” of development and testing – not to mention certification. However, Intelligent Energy anticipates that its hydrogen fuel cell technology could be powering passenger-carrying aircraft before the end of the decade.

“We’ve got one customer we’re engaged with who’s looking to get product flying by 2029,” Harris says. “There are going to be opportunities – possibly in some larger unmanned aircraft, small fixed-wing planes and eVTOLs – where there’s going to be an easier route to certification.”