Universal Hydrogen secures 250th hydrogen aircraft product order
September 27, 2023This is a major commercial milestone for the company.
Universal Hydrogen Co. announced that it’s celebrating a major commercial milestone after an unnamed customer pushed the total order book for its hydrogen aircraft product to 250.
Universal Hydrogen’s aircraft conversion kits replace existing kerosene-burning gas turbines.
The company’s regional aircraft conversion kits, for which it has been taking orders, are for 50 – 60 passenger regional aircraft starting with the ATR 72 with hydrogen fuel cells and an electric motor. The kit reconfigures the existing aircraft to accommodate Universal Hydrogen’s patented liquid H2 modules.
In addition to receiving the regional hydrogen aircraft conversion kits, the orders include an agreement to supply hydrogen fuel services for the aircraft.
The company’s innovative modular fueling system utilizes standard cargo handling equipment for H2 handling and fueling. In other words, every airport is hydrogen-ready without having to make costly infrastructure upgrades to support hydrogen aircrafts.
The milestone places the company’s order book for hydrogen aircraft conversion over $1 billion.
“This symbolic milestone places our order book for aircraft conversion well north of $1 billion, with nearly half the orders including deposits or cancellation penalties. This also translates to over $2 billion in fuel services revenue over our first ten years of operation,” said Universal Hydrogen, Chief Commercial Officer, Rod Williams in a company announcement.
Universal Hydrogen’s regional aircraft powered by hydrogen
This significant commercial milestone was celebrated by the company with a kickoff event for a flight test and maturation campaign for its regional aircraft products at the Mojave Air & Space Port.
The kickoff flight lasted about 20 minutes. During the flight, the flaps and landing gear were retracted and the hydrogen aircraft reached 5,000 feet MSL before returning for multiple passes over the airport. The hydrogen powertrain was at full power and the conventional engine throttled back to measure noise level reduction, which is expected of the hydrogen aircraft’s fuel cell-electric propulsion.
Certification progress.
This major commercial milestone for its hydrogen aircraft products comes on the heels of another important milestone for the company. Two weeks ago, Universal hydrogen received a G-1 Issue Paper from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
This was awarded after the FAA accepted the company’s application for a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the conversion of ATR 72 regional airlines powered by Universal Hydrogen’s patented liquid H2 modules and a fuel cell-electric propulsion system.
The G-1 Issue Paper is an important document that is a vital step in establishing the certification criteria.
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