Hydrogen aircraft are being built in Hungary

The gigantic drone will be able to fly for up to 4 hours on a single charge, and it won’t lack self-driving either.

The pair of electric motor and battery is now becoming more and more popular in the automotive industry, but the large, heavy-weight or slow-charging battery pack poses serious challenges for manufacturers.

As an alternative, some companies have been experimenting with the fuel cell solution for decades, in which case electric motors are powered not by a battery but by a current derived from high-pressure hydrogen by reverse water decomposition. The advantages of this include the possibility of fast refueling and a more modest weight.

The question may rightly be asked, why not use fuel cell technology even in aviation? The answer is now given in Jakabszállás, because a hydrogen-powered aircraft is made here. The makers say it will be the first multi-rotor hydrogen aircraft for urban use to go into series production.

Developed by Genevation Aircraft Ltd. and Alaka’i Technilogies in the US, the futuristic-looking aircraft with a minimum weight is planned to be able to carry 500 kilograms of payload and spend about 4 hours in the air at a time. If all goes well, the four-rotor and self-driving Skai will be able to take off for the first time in 2023.