Futuristic flying taxi to use hydrogen fuel cell power in CityHawk eVTOL craft

Urban Aeronautics Ltd, one of the world’s leaders in VTOL aircraft, has signed an agreement with Hypoint Inc. to advance the incorporation of hydrogen fuel cell power in its CityHawk eVTOL design, company executives announced.

Urban Aeronautics, which is pioneering the next generation of eVTOL aircraft for commercial air taxi and air rescue roles, and HyPoint, a leader in next generation, high power (HTPEM) hydrogen fuel cell systems, will explore the development of an advanced version of Urban Aeronautics’ CityHawk eVTOL powered by HyPoint’s cutting-edge, hydrogen fuel cell stack technology.

As currently designed, CityHawk relies on hybrid propulsion.

CityHawk is a six-seat eVTOL, with a uniquely compact footprint and no external wings or rotors.

Its small footprint/high payload configuration is optimized for urban transportation and emergency response.

The rotorless, wingless design offers enhanced safety and unrestricted mobility with unique “fly anywhere, land anywhere” door-to-door transportation capability. It features Urban Aeronautics’ groundbreaking internal rotor Fancraft™ technology, which utilises powerful ducted fans in combination with innovative aerodynamic technologies that result in superior control, stability, speed, safety, noise reduction and sustainability.

“We look forward to collaborating with HyPoint on the integration of the next generation of hydrogen fuel cell systems for eVTOL transportation and the urban air mobility market,” said Rafi Yoeli, CEO of Urban Aeronautics.

“As a high-power, 100 percent environmentally friendly fuel, hydrogen is key to the future of eVTOL aircraft,” Yoeli added. HyPoint’s hydrogen fuel cell design features zero carbon emissions and superior energy performance through higher specific power and practical output power capacity.

The company’s new turbo-air cooled fuel cells increase the lifespan of hydrogen powertrains from 5,000 to 20,000 hours and only take a few minutes to refuel, representing a significant improvement over existing systems.

“We were very impressed with the next generation of flying vehicles being developed by Urban Aeronautics, as well as its commitment to hydrogen power, and we look forward to working with them on this exciting project,” said Alex Ivanenko, Founder & CEO of HyPoint, Inc.

Image credit: Urban Aeronautics