US-based aviation startup Universal Hydrogen has gone bust after it failed to secure sufficient funding to continue R&D of its fuel cell-powered propulsion system and modular storage solution.
The bankruptcy and shutdown, which were first revealed in a letter to shareholders last week and reported by the Seattle Times, followed a last-ditch attempt to merge with US regional carrier Silver Airways.
Universal Hydrogen, which was founded in 2020 is reported to have spent US$100 million of investor funding. It planned to have its hydrogen powertrain enter into service on a retrofitted ATR 72 regional aircraft during 2026.
The company’s ambitious plan was also to develop and deploy a liquid hydrogen logistics infrastructure for airports to refuel aircraft that had been fitted with its propulsion system.
Universal Hydrogen succeeded in flying a Dash 8 test aircraft carrying a hydrogen fuel cell-electric, megawatt-class powertrain last year for the first time last year, and was running a planned two-year testing program using that aircraft at the Mojave Air and Space port in California.
According to a LinkedIn post by Jon Gordon, Universal’s chief commercial officer and co-founder, which also confirmed the company’s closure, the Dash 8 aircraft had performed 13 successful flights.
Universal Hydrogen engineers in Toulouse, France also started ground testing an iron-bird powered by the powertrain, fueled by its liquid hydrogen storage module earlier this year.
However, significant technical challenges exist around handling compressed liquid hydrogen, as well as around the development and integration a liquid hydrogen fuel cell-powered propulsion into aircraft.
