FutureFlight
Apus Wins Strategic Funding for Family of Hydrogen-powered Aircraft
The German company is working on fuel-cell-based propulsion systems for a pair of fixed-wing aircraft aimed at the general aviation and regional airline markets.
The Apus i-2 aircraft will run on gaseous hydrogen.
The Apus Group's i-2 aircraft will have tanks for gaseous hydrogen fuel in its wings and have a dual redundant powertrain. (Image: Apus Group)

Software entrepreneur Rolf-Jürgen Moll is joining Germany's Apus Group as a strategic investor in its plans to develop hydrogen-powered aircraft. The company’s January 18 announcement did not disclose the amount of the new funding, but APUS founder and CEO Phillip Scheffel said that it has now raised €40 million ($43 million)—enough to support work to have an initial prototype flying in the first half of 2024.

Apus, which is based at Strausberg Airport near Berlin, is developing a four-seat aircraft called the i-2 and the larger i-5, which is a 14-passenger commuter model. Both will feature Apus’s own design for a fuel-cell-based powertrain burning gaseous hydrogen, and are expected to be priced at €1.4 million and €3.8 million, respectively.