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The Canadian aviation company Avmax Aircraft Leasing has signed a deal with Universal Hydrogen to convert 20 regional aircraft to run on “green” hydrogen, the companies announced on Tuesday.
Avmax will be able to&nbsp;choose between Universal Hydrogen’s two conversion kits: one for retrofitting ATR 72-600 turboprops&nbsp;and another for the De Havilland Dash 8-300.&nbsp;
“This order is an important step for Canada’s sizable regional aviation market, which is home to the largest turboprop fleet in the world with nearly 300 Dash-8s and 50 ATRs servicing over 120 airports,” said Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen.
Avmax and Universal Hydrogen are also considering forming a partnership to provide maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services for the converted aircraft. Founded in 1976, Avmax offers a wide array of services beyond aircraft leasing, including MRO, airline operations, engineering, and avionics.
In addition to supplying the 20 conversion kits, California-based Universal Hydrogen has agreed to provide the hydrogen fuel that will power Avmax’s fleet of converted aircraft.&nbsp;
Universal Hydrogen’s fuel system concept uses refillable hydrogen capsules that are transported from fuel-production facilities directly to the aircraft, where they are loaded into the rear fuselage and placed in a compartment that replaces the last two rows of passenger seats. Those lightweight, modular fuel capsules are connected through the aircraft’s dorsal fins to two nacelles, where fuel cells will power electric motors that are installed on the aircraft’s existing propellers.&nbsp;
“Universal Hydrogen’s regional conversion kits allow our existing and future fleet to run on green hydrogen, and Universal Hydrogen is simultaneously unlocking cost-competitive and scalable logistics for hydrogen fuel,” said Scott Greig, senior vice president and head of Avmax Aircraft Leasing. “Offering our customers true&nbsp;zero-emissions products and services sets us apart, and we hope to see other airlines in Canada follow suit. We see green hydrogen as the only solution to fully decarbonizing the industry.”
Avmax isn’t the first customer to place a firm order for Universal Hydrogen’s conversion kits. Just last month, the company announced that it had received a firm order from Massachusetts-based regional carrier Connect Airlines <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-06-08/universal-hydrogen-signs-deal-convert-75-atr-600s-hydrogen-power-connect">to convert 75 ATR 72-600 regional turboprops</a>. And last year, the company began working with Deutsche Aircraft in Germany to evaluate the possibility of installing its modular hydrogen capsules <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-07-21/universal-hydrogen-joins-deutsche-aircrafts-project-convert-dornier-328">in the Dornier 328 regional airliner</a>. Universal Hydrogen has said it expects to make the first deliveries of its hydrogen conversion kits by 2025.

Science & Technology Editor

Hanneke Weitering

Avmax Orders 20 Universal Hydrogen Conversion Kits for Regional Airliners

Universal Hydrogen said on Wednesday that it has collected a firm order from prospective Massachusetts-based regional carrier Connect Airlines to covert 75 ATR 72-600 regional turboprops to hydrogen power. Connect Airlines, which still awaits a Show Cause Order from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fly De Havilland Dash 8-400s from points between the Northeast and Midwest U.S. cities and Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport, would take delivery of the first converted ATR in 2025, according to Universal. The latest contract between Connect Airlines and Universal follows a letter of intent announced last year that called for converting De Havilland Dash 8-300s. &nbsp;
A division of Boston-based Part 135 charter operator Waltzing Matilda Aviation, Connect Airlines also signed for purchase rights on another 25 ATR conversions. It says it has committed to becoming the world’s first “true” zero-emission airline. 
“We see the partnership with Universal Hydrogen as the fastest path to zero-emission operation because they offer both an affordable retrofit solution for the existing airplane fleet, as well as a pragmatic approach to delivering hydrogen to any airport in our route network,” said Connect Airlines CEO John Thomas. “With this technology and its economics, we see the demand growing to 800 new aircraft added to the regional fleet over the next decade.”
In addition to a hydrogen conversion kit for the ATR 72-600, Universal Hydrogen offers hydrogen fuel services to airports using a modular capsule technology that allows for the transport and handling of hydrogen using the existing intermodal freight network and cargo handling equipment. Wednesday’s agreement also calls for Universal Hydrogen to provide fuel services to the Connect fleet. &nbsp;
“This order places Connect firmly in the vanguard of the march to get aviation on a path to meeting Paris Agreement emissions targets,” said Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen. “This march will very soon need to turn into a sprint if the industry has any hope of decarbonizing in time without having to curtail the growth in passenger volumes. We will need to convert most of the regional fleet in the 2020s and ensure that the new narrowbody aircraft built in the 2030s are hydrogen-powered; there is no other way to get there.”

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Universal Hydrogen Signs Deal to Convert 75 ATR-600s to Hydrogen Power for Connect Airlines

<a href="https://hydrogen.aero/">Universal Hydrogen</a> is to establish its manufacturing and distribution center for its hydrogen aircraft propulsion systems in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The California-based start-up this week signed an agreement with New Mexico's&nbsp;governor, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-lujan-grisham-b76ab710/">Michelle Lujan Grisham</a>, to develop the facility on 50&nbsp;acres&nbsp;at the city’s main airport, which is called the <a href="https://www.abqsunport.com/">Albuquerque International Sunport</a>. The plan is for it to be&nbsp;ready to start production in 2024 to support commercial flights beginning in&nbsp;2025.
The company is working on a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain that will be used to convert regional airliners such as the Dash 8 and ATR72 twin turboprops. Its concept calls for green hydrogen to be supplied directly to airports in capsules and fitted directly into a compartment at the rear of the aircraft fuselage.
In this week’s announcement, Universal Hydrogen said it will invest over $254 million in the Albuquerque facility and intends to recruit around 500 employees over the next seven years.&nbsp;The company has also announced plans to establish an engineering center at Toulouse in France.
In October 2021, <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-10-14/universal-hydrogen-raises-further-62-million-support-airliner-conversion">Universal Hydrogen raised an additional $62 million</a> to support its plans to convert regional airliners to hydrogen propulsion, bringing its total fundraising to date to $85 million. It says it has commitments to convert nearly 100 aircraft from prospective airline customers, including Air Nostrum, Icelandair, ASL Aviation, and Air Nostrum.
In an October 14 announcement, Universal Hydrogen said the new capital will allow it to press ahead with&nbsp;flight testing of its hydrogen fuel cell powertrain on a 40-plus-seat ATR 42 regional airliner at Moses Lake in Washington state. The green hydrogen for the flight will be supplied using the company’s modular fuel capsules, which&nbsp;are installed in a compartment in the rear of the fuselage. 
According to the company, its proprietary technology allows the hydrogen fuel to be delivered directly from production facilities to the aircraft using existing freight services and airport cargo-handling equipment. It also claims that the capsules are significantly lighter than other current hydrogen storage hardware.
“Hydrogen is the best and only scalable solution to truly decarbonize aviation, and we want to bring it to market decades sooner than anyone thought possible—by 2025,” said Universal Hydrogen co-founder and general counsel <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jhgordon/">Jon Gordon</a>. He said that the company chose Albuquerque because it offers convenient connections to air, rail, and highways, as well as partnership opportunities with local government, industry, and research institutions.
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Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Universal Hydrogen To Build Manufacturing and Distribution Center in Albuquerque

In a move that could foreshadow cooperation with Airbus, California&nbsp;start-up Universal Hydrogen is locating a second engineering and design center near the European aerospace group’s Toulouse, France&nbsp;headquarters. The facility will initially focus on the development of a liquid hydrogen capsule for the company’s hydrogen modular storage and logistics system.
The company has appointed Airbus veteran Pierre Farjounel as general manager of its new European operations, which are now based in the historic Hangar B16 at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport. Farjounel previously served as the head of digital continuity and information systems for Airbus’s next-generation aircraft. 
Beginning in 2022, the engineering center will also support the development of conversion kits for retrofitting regional aircraft with a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain, as well as the development of modular hydrogen storage technology for single-aisle, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other applications. Universal Hydrogen plans to convert turboprop airliners such as the ATR42/72 and Dash 8.
Much of the company’s leadership formerly worked at Airbus. Universal co-founder and CEO&nbsp;Paul Eremenko&nbsp;served as Airbus’s chief technology officer, leading electrification and decarbonization initiatives. Chief technology officer Mark Cousin was technical director for the Airbus Beluga XL program and subsequently was senior vice president for flight demonstrators. Former Airbus CEO Tom Enders and former chief commercial officer John Leahy both serve on Universal Hydrogen’s strategic advisory board.&nbsp;
Universal is backed by investment from Airbus Ventures, Global Founders Capital, Plug Power, Fortescue Future Industries, Coatue, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Toyota Ventures, and Sojitz Corporation.&nbsp;The company has agreements with Icelandair, Ravn Alaska, and Air Nostrum to retrofit Dash 8 and ATR 72 aircraft with hydrogen power for passenger service beginning in 2025. The airlines have also committed to long-term fuel supply contracts using Universal Hydrogen’s modular fuel distribution network.
Toulouse is in France’s Occitanie region, which recently launched a green hydrogen development plan for the period 2019-2030 with a budget of €150M. According to the region’s president, Carole Delga, Universal Hydrogen will be able to benefit from her agency’s support network.
In addition to Toulouse, Universal continues to work with other regions in France, as well as with Germany and the Netherlands, to further accelerate its engineering and manufacturing capabilities. The company is working to develop&nbsp;a full-scale hydrogen aviation demonstration, as well as a regional service center in the Paris Region, by the end of 2022.
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Universal Hydrogen Gets Closer to Airbus with New Toulouse Engineering Center

Universal Hydrogen has begun studies with Deutsche Aircraft to evaluate the potential for installing its modular hydrogen capsules in the Dornier 328 regional airliner. The collaboration, announced on July 21, follows a related partnership agreement&nbsp;between Germany-based Deutsche Aircraft and H2Fly to develop hydrogen fuel cell technology for the twin-turboprop aircraft. 
Under a memorandum of understanding signed on July 6, Deutsche Aircraft and H2Fly are aiming to get a demonstrator aircraft flying in 2025, with a view to supporting commercial operations with up to 40 passengers. The Dornier 328 aircraft is currently powered by Pratt &amp; Whitney turboprop engines.
California-based Universal Hydrogen is working on its own plans to install a complete hydrogen powertrain in other regional airliners, including ATR42s and Dash 8s. For those projects, it is partnered with U.S.-based fuel-cell specialist PlugPower, which is one of its investors.&nbsp;
Deutsche Aircraft and Universal Hydrogen will analyze the size and integration of the modular capsule technology for hydrogen storage into the aircraft structures and systems. They will also consider aircraft weight and balance, the cost of infrastructure and fuel, mission performance, and hydrogen logistics network design.
The planned demonstrator aircraft to be developed with Deutsche Aircraft will have a much more powerful 1.5-MW hydrogen system. The partners are aiming to certify hydrogen-powered aircraft under the requirements of EASA’s CS-25 class for certifying larger commercial airliners.
Deutsche Aircraft is already working on a conversion program for the Dornier 328, called the D328eco, which will be offer as a stop-gap solution before the longer-term improvements in propulsion can be brought to market.&nbsp;This involves stretching the fuselage of the existing regional airliner by two meters to accommodate up to 43 passengers and installing new Pratt &amp; Whitney PW127S engines that can run on sustainable aviation fuel. The company&nbsp;aims&nbsp;to complete the preliminary design review for this project in September and expects to have the aircraft in production by 2025.
Essentially, Deutsche Aircraft is exploring two parallel options for hydrogen propulsion as part of its D328eco+ program. "We see our cooperation with both companies as key and complementary to help us develop the technology bricks we need to bring hydrogen applications to maturity," a company spokesperson told&nbsp;FutureFlight. "We believe in the potential of hydrogen to help us reach this goal, but we can't be sure at this stage that hydrogen technologies will work for aircraft."
The Dornier 328 aircraft is purely being used as a demonstration platform for the two projects. It would not necessarily form the basis for a potential hydrogen-powered aircraft development in the future.
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Universal Hydrogen Joins Deutsche Aircraft's Project To Convert Dornier 328 Regional Airliner

Plug Power has become a minority shareholder in Universal Hydrogen, expanding its partnership with the start-up to provide hydrogen propulsion for aircraft. The initial $1 million investment, with an option to&nbsp;increase that amount, should allow Universal Hydrogen to meet its goal of completing the construction of a subscale hydrogen powertrain during the second quarter of this year.
In September 2020, the companies announced a partnership to develop hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion systems to power converted regional airliners. The U.S. companies intend to build and test a full-scale ground-based prototype for a two-megawatt hydrogen-electric powertrain that they intend to have ready for retrofitting under a supplemental type certificate (STC) by 2024.
Now they are expanding their alliance with a global supply agreement for Plug Power to distribute hydrogen supplies to aircraft. Initially, the company will supply around 500 tons of hydrogen each day from five distribution points across the U.S. by 2024. This volume is roughly equivalent to a million gallons of jet-A fuel. The first confirmed locations for the storage facilities include&nbsp;Rochester, New York;&nbsp;Lancaster, Pennsylvania;&nbsp;and Fort Worth. 
“When you think about renewable [fuels] at four cents per kilowatt-hour, it’s clear that green hydrogen can be produced at prices equivalent to or below [the cost of] fossil fuel in the near term,” said Andy Marsh, Plug Power’s CEO. “Universal Hydrogen’s approach is a pragmatic, near-term plan to bring green hydrogen to one of the hardest-to-decarbonize sectors—air travel.”
Plug Power has extensive experience in developing hydrogen fuel cell stack technology for e-mobility applications, including fork-lift trucks and other ground vehicles. The customer base for its ProGen systems includes BMW, Renault, Amazon, Walmart, Carrefour, and Southern Company. In 2019, the company acquired EnergyOr, which makes lightweight fuel cells for drones.
Universal Hydrogen and Plug Power’s engineering teams will first test the subscale powertrain on the ground before retrofitting the equipment into a 40- to 60-seat regional aircraft, such as the Dash 8 or the ATR42. Test flights are due to begin in 2023, with a target date for initial commercial operations in 2025.
Universal Hydrogen’s concept of operation is based on using refillable hydrogen capsules delivered directly from fuel-production facilities to the aircraft. The company, which was founded in early 2020 by former Airbus chief technology officer Paul Eremenko, says that the propulsion systems would be able to support routes of up to around 1,000 km (633 miles) with 40 passengers. It maintains that its approach avoids the prohibitive infrastructure costs that would be associated with supplying carbon-free fuel to aircraft via ships, pipelines, and trucks.
The hydrogen capsules will be loaded into the rear of the aircraft and placed in a compartment replacing the last two rows of passenger seats. Plumbing lines will run from the capsules through the aircraft’s dorsal fins into each of the two nacelles where fuel cells and electric motors would be installed to power the aircraft’s existing propellers.
“The global supply agreement [with Plug Power] for green hydrogen will enable us to deliver modular fuel capsules to airline operators at a price that gives them equivalent unit economics to a conventional jet fuel-powered regional aircraft in 2025, with additional operating cost savings as the cost of hydrogen continues to decrease,” Eremenko said.&nbsp;
According to Marsh, in any sector, there is a better chance that operators will agree to switch to hydrogen if they are assured a turnkey solution. This needs to include the fuel cell powertrain and also an assured supply chain for the fuel.

Universal Hydrogen

News

Avmax Orders 20 Universal Hydrogen Conversion Kits for Regional Airliners

Universal Hydrogen Signs Deal to Convert 75 ATR-600s to Hydrogen Power for Connect Airlines

Universal Hydrogen To Build Manufacturing and Distribution Center in Albuquerque

Universal Hydrogen Gets Closer to Airbus with New Toulouse Engineering Center

Universal Hydrogen Joins Deutsche Aircraft's Project To Convert Dornier 328 Regional Airliner

Plug Power and Universal Hydrogen Step Up Plans to Convert Airliners to Green Fuel

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