Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Power Train Demonstration

The "HyPoTraDe" project, officially titled "Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Power Train Demonstration," aims to develop and test modular hybrid-electric powertrain architectures for aviation applications. Funded by the EU under the Climate, Energy, and Mobility programme, the project runs from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2025, with a total budget of approximately €4.5 million, out of which €4 million is contributed by the EU.

Key Objectives:

1. Design and Testing: The project will design, assemble, and ground-test 500 kW modular fuel cell-battery hybrid-electric distributed electric propulsion (DEP) powertrain architectures. These include advanced cryo-enabled thermal management systems for better performance in aeronautical applications.
2. Operational Characterization: The testing campaign aims to fast-track the characterization of optimal system architectures and validate failure mode mitigations. It also focuses on demonstrating complex operational requirements such as high coolant temperatures, start-up and shut-down characteristics, in-flight restart, and battery charging.
3. Digital Twin Integration: The project will develop a digital twin of the powertrain system, which will be validated using the results from the ground tests.

Expected Impact:

The main impact of the HyPoTraDe project is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the operational characteristics of modular fuel cell-battery hybrid-electric DEP powertrain architectures. This knowledge will support the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking's goals for the introduction of hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2035.