Hydrogen fuel cell specialist HyPoint this week launched a partnership with rotorcraft and drone developer Piasecki Aircraft Corporation to develop and certify propulsion systems for eVTOL aircraft. Under the agreement, which was announced on August 24, the U.S companies will first focus on producing five 650-kW fuel cells for Piasecki’s new PA-860 compound helicopter, which it says will be the world’s first hydrogen-powered manned rotorcraft.
According to HyPoint and Piasecki, their technology will offer other eVTOL aircraft developers four times the energy density available from existing lithium-ion batteries and twice the specific power of existing hydrogen fuel systems. Under the terms of the agreement, which is valued at $6.5 million, Piasecki has obtained an exclusive license to distribute the fuel cells. Hypoint retains ownership of the underlying patented technology.
