As someone who works in the industrial drone industry, we all share one common problem: flight time... we can never get enough! In this video, I walk through many of the FAQ's that one would have when it comes to how a Hydrogen Fuel Cell would work with a heavy lift industrial type drone such as the MFD 3000. Please note: At the moment this is purely a concept and does not fly. This video is more of a higher level discussion on how this technology is going to work. Stay tuned for actual flying video!
I am happy to announce a partnership between my company (Watts Innovations) and Intelligent Energy out of the UK. They are a Hydrogen Fuel Cell manufacturer who have recently shifted their focus to the UAV market. They have recently created the most powerful commercially available Hydrogen Fuel Cell for the UAV market and I am fortunate enough to be working with them on a concept drone to show its capabilities.
At this time, this 2.4kW fuel cell is still in the prototype stages, but will be ready for real world flight testing in Q4 of 2019 and for sale in Q1 of 2020.
I truly feel this piece of technology is game changing. In this video, I cover the top 12 FAQ's I came up with in regards to how Hydrogen Fuel Cells would work in the drone market. This video focuses on the technology and the benefits it could provide to the market.
If you are in the industrial drone market and are looking for longer flight times but want to continue having a reasonable work flow on site, do you see this technology as a viable alternative to using Lithium Batteries? Let me know in the comments!
Video Breakdown:
5:03 What is a Hydrogen Fuel Cell?
6:38 Is a Drone a Suitable Platform For A Hydrogen Fuel Cell? How about a Car?
9:27 What are the Necessary Components Required for a Hydrogen Fuel Cell System?
11:27 How is a Fuel Cell Going to Power the Drone? Does it Have a Backup Power Source?
15:20 Why Does Energy Density Matter So Much? What Does This Allow?
20:20 How Does This Compare To Other Types of Hybrid Solutions Such as Gasoline Generators?
24:23 How Do I Fill The Tanks? What's Involved?
27:55 How Safe Is This?
30:32 What's The Work Flow Like At The Job Site?
32:38 Who Manufactures The Fuel Cell? More Info?
34:43 How Much Will It Cost And What's The Associated Costs of Ownership?
39:11 When Will It Be Available? When Can I See One Fly?
More information on this aircraft here: https://wattsinnovations.com/aircraft/mfd3000/
Special thanks to:
Intelligent Energy: https://www.intelligent-energy.com/
Phoenix LiDAR Systems: https://www.phoenixlidar.com/
As always, please be sure to email or message me with any questions you may have, I'd be happy to answer anything I can for you.
Thanks for watching!
