Qdot’s vehicle will use a multi-pitch propeller system to act as a VTOL aircraft. Credit: Qdot

Hydrogen aviation company H3 Dynamics will supply its fuel cell systems for a zero-emission cargo unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being developed by Qdot Technology. 

The partnership will see Qdot use H3 Dynamics’ hydrogen-electric fuel cell system to power its UAV in a hybridisation with its own battery technology and ultra-light heat exchangers. 

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The vehicle will also use a new multi-pitch propeller system to move between vertical hover and fixed-wing flight as a hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. 

Qdot CEO Jack Nicholas said: “Our hybrid powertrain strategy enables uncrewed aircraft to meet the necessary range and payload capacity, paving the way for new applications.” 

The VTOL UAV will have a range of 600km in normal flight and be capable of lifting payloads of up to 200kg for up to 250km. 

The manufacturer said it had designed the aircraft to be used both for cargo transportation and middle-mile aerial logistics operations, with applications in search and rescue or medical transport as well. 

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Qdot said it is also planning to scale the technology for larger manned aircraft such as eVTOLs and light business jets as it expands its services.

The Oxford University spinoff is just one of many companies exploring the potential for hybrid battery-hydrogen VTOL aircraft for both passenger and cargo operations, with startups such as AMSL Aero in Australia also developing similar vehicles.

H3 Dynamics’ deal with Qdot comes shortly after it was also selected as the fuel cell supplier for the EU-funded research project HyPoTraDe, which is developing a modular 500kW hydrogen powertrain system for use on small aircraft.