H2 Clipper’s plans to bring a hydrogen-powered airship to market received a boost this week when Dassault Systèmes selected the California-based start-up to join its 3DExperience Lab accelerator program. The company’s planned design is intended to transport freight, including possibly hydrogen supplies for other users, in a way that it says will be between seven and 10 times faster than shipment via ship or truck and with 70 percent savings compared with the cost of using existing cargo aircraft.
The proposed H2 Clipper airship is expected to have a range of 6,000 miles at speeds of 175 mph and a vast cargo volume of 265,000 cubic feet. According to the company, its operating costs will be between 17 and 25 cents per ton-mile, based on payloads of 245 tons over 1,000 miles or 170 tons over 6,000 miles. Total lifting capacity is expected to be over 250 tons, with the range to payload ratio being driven by the quantity of fuel required for the desired flight distance.
