MENLO PARK, Calif., - HyPoint unveiled the first operable prototype of its breakthrough turbo air-cooled hydrogen fuel cell system. The NASA award-winning fuel cell technology, developed by an international team of engineers, delivers a combination of specific power and energy density and has passed key validation testing to prove its technical viability. Full-scale versions, which are expected to begin shipping in 2022, will drive the commercial development of zero-emission e-aircraft, eVTOL, and urban air mobility vehicles, and serve an important role in the global effort to curb carbon emissions.
The arrival of zero-emission aviation has been hindered by the energy density limitations of lithium-ion batteries and the specific power limitations of hydrogen fuel cells. Testing has shown that HyPoint's turbo air-cooled hydrogen fuel cell system will be able to achieve up to 2,000 watts per kilogram of specific power, which is more than triple the power-to-weight ratio of traditional hydrogen fuel cells systems. It will also boast up to 1,500 watt-hours per kilogram of energy density, enabling longer-distance journeys. By addressing these core technological barriers, HyPoint will cut years off commercial delivery timelines for hydrogen aircraft and unlock the emerging hydrogen aviation market, which is expected to be valued at more than $27 billion in 2030 and at least $174 billion by 2040, according to Allied Market Research.
HyPoint's approach utilizes compressed air for both cooling and oxygen supply to deliver a high-temperature (HTPEM) fuel cell system that is three times lighter than comparable liquid-cooled low-temperature (LTPEM) fuel cell systems. It also leverages a number of technical innovations including lightweight bipolar plates and a highly conductive, corrosion-resistant coating in order to radically outperform existing systems. As a result, HyPoint can deliver up to a 50% reduction in total cost of ownership for aircraft makers and empower them to create practical, cost-effective zero-emission vehicles. HyPoint's approach is detailed in a newly-released white paper, which can be found at bit.ly/HyPoint2021.
HyPoint also announced that it will begin work with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to further test and validate its hydrogen fuel cell technology. NREL's hydrogen and fuel cell research and development focuses on developing, integrating, and demonstrating hydrogen production and delivery, hydrogen storage, and fuel cell technologies for transportation, stationary, and portable applications. Projects range from fundamental research to overcome technical barriers, manufacturing process improvement to enable high-volume fuel cell production, systems analysis to identify the most promising commercialization pathways, and market transformation to support early market deployments.
"This functional prototype brings us one step closer to our vision of delivering efficient and cost-effective zero-carbon emission fuel cell technology to the aviation industry, which is expected to contribute up to a quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 if left unchecked," said Dr. Alex Ivanenko, founder and CEO of HyPoint. "The prototype has passed a number of subsystem tests that strongly suggest that our patented technology and unique approach works — and we're excited to use NREL's state-of-the-art testing facilities to further validate our system. Moreover, we're thrilled to be a part of the emerging hydrogen economy, which seeks to replace harmful fossil fuels with hydrogen, the universe's most abundant energy source."
In December 2020, HyPoint was named a winner of NASA's iTech Initiative, in which inventive technologies were ranked based on criteria that included technical viability, likely impact on future space exploration, benefits to humanity, and commercialization potential. HyPoint's aeronautic applications — including eVTOLs, UAVs, PAVs, and electric aircraft — were considered to be especially innovative.
