WEITERSTADT/HAMBURG, Germany—Wingcopter, the German developer and operator of delivery drones, and Hamburg-based ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research GmbH have announced a development partnership to explore the potential of green hydrogen to power Wingcopter’s drones.

Those drones are already purely electric. By refitting the battery-powered Wingcopter 198 to run on hydrogen, the plan is for the drone to not only continue to fly emission-free in the future, but to become even more powerful. The Wingcopter already achieves higher ranges and speeds than most competitors’ models thanks to the added lift of its wings and its aerodynamic design. However, hydrogen propulsion could ensure even longer flight times and thus enable correspondingly greater distances for different delivery applications, the companies said.

The project-related modification of the Wingcopter will take place at ZAL‘s Fuel Cell Lab in Hamburg. As part of the development partnership, a solution is being developed that will fit into the existing technical ecosystem of the Wingcopter delivery drone while preserving the characteristic flight capabilities of the Wingcopter. In the past, ZAL engineers have been able to achieve a flight duration of over two hours with the company’s own ZALbatros hydrogen drone. This was achieved using compressed gaseous hydrogen in combination with a fuel cell. A comparable technology will also be used in the Wingcopter.

“We are very excited about the collaboration and are confident that together we can develop an even more efficient propulsion solution that benefits nature at the same time,” said Wingcopter co-founder and CEO Tom Plümmer. “We have always wanted the Wingcopter to be able to fly even further. However, we categorically ruled out the installation of a conventional combustion engine right from the start with a view to the environment and climate change. We are happy to now explore technical possibilities in the field of hydrogen propulsion together with the ZAL experts and then put the best concept into practice.”

“Our mission is to bring hydrogen into the air and create innovative solutions for sustainable aviation,” said Roland Gerhards, CEO of ZAL GmbH. “With Wingcopter as our partner, we’re not only impressed by their drones’ flight performance, but also by their clear vision of how urban air mobility and especially drone delivery can help improve people’s lives. This aligns perfectly with ZAL’s values. With our expertise, we want to convert the Wingcopter to hydrogen and thus strengthen the Hamburg UAM network Windrove with another flagship project.”