A VTOL aircraft powered by Hydrogen? Indian start-up 'BluJ' is working on one

The drones that we commonlyknowof are powered by batteries or conventional fuels and are used for everything from cargo hauling to videography to strategic purposes.In order to add more lifting power and range, Hyderabad-based Indian start-upBluJhopes to eventually make a fully-autonomousaircraft measuring 6metres in wingspan and 4metres in length,that can carry a 1-ton payload (1000kg) across a distance of 800kms, powered by a Hydrogen fuel cell system.

Simply put, Hydrogen fuel cells use the chemical energy of hydrogen to produce electricity and the only residue it leaves behind is heat and water.

Established in 2022, the firm initially received grants from the Government of Telangana and the Government of India, and most recently raised $2.25mn inseedfunding.The round is led by Endiya Partners andIdeaspringcapital with participation fromRainmatterfoundation.

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"Our first commercial product will be aHydrogen-Electricfully autonomous VTOL aircraft for cargo with a capability of about 100 kgs payload and 400-500kms range.Weare currently buildinga full-scale,battery poweredtechnology demonstratorwhich would be having the same dimensions as the envisioned hydrogen-fuel cell powered one" Maruthi Amardeep, Co-founder and CEO ofBluJtold WION.

He added that they expect to conduct flight trials of this lithium-ion battery-powered variant by the end of 2023,followed by the flight demonstration of the Hydrogen-powered variant bytheend of 2024.Through these, they plan to mature the technologies required to maketheir futureVTOL aircrafts for passengers and cargo that can ferry 1-ton payload across a distance of 800-100kms.

A fleet of winged drones under development

Queried about the use case of such heavy-payload lifting drones that fly long ranges, Maruthi Amardeep explained that they are meant to reduce travel time for cargo and passengers and to be used in sectors such as oil and gas, mining, logistics. It can also make travel easier and quicker between satellite cities to metropolises, travel from cities to airports and for defence logistics purposes etc.

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"The funding we have received will sustain us for two years, within which we can develop most of the required technologies at the ground level and build one flying prototype that is powered by a fuel cell" Amardeep said.

The drones being designed and developed byBluJare unlike the conventional drones.BluJis building a fleet of winged drones.They take off vertically like a helicopter and then use forward propellors for sustained flight.

Making Hydrogen-powered VTOL aircraft: Key challenge

While Hydrogen fuel cell technology is clean, efficient, reliable and comes in a small form factor, the major challenges are the high cost of platinum(used as a catalyst), lack of infrastructure to support hydrogen distribution and the high cost of producing hydrogen and it not being widely available.

The team atBluJsaysthey understand the challenges andthat theirproduct and market strategyis both sustainable and practical.

According to the firm, their core teambrings together 100+ years of deep domain expertise, with members having previously worked for Boeing, General Electric, ISRO, Siemens and Collins Aerospace.

BluJwas founded in May 2022 by CEO MaruthiAmardeep, a University of Cincinnati graduate who previously served as Engineering Director atSkyrootAerospace, and CTO Utham Kumar Dharmapuri, who was an engineering lead at Boeing.

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