China Patent&Trademark Office - Hydrogen-powered drones triples endurance for large-scale application

The "hydrogen heart" for unmanned aerial vehicles developed by a team of scientists in Dalian, Liaoning province, which integrates lightweight design, high power, and air-cooling heat dissipation, recently achieved a milestone leap from the laboratory to large-scale application.

"The endurance of industrial drones equipped with this system has more than tripled compared with that of conventional batteries," said Chen Zhongwei, technical leader of the project.

A drone equipped with the "hydrogen heart" developed by a team of scientists in Dalian, Liaoning province, is showcased to visitors, on May 10, 2025. [Photo by Song Wei/For chinadaily.com.cn]

According to him, the achievements have been successfully applied in real-world scenarios such as forestry, agriculture, power line inspection, and emergency rescue.

As the low-altitude economy is incorporated into China's strategic emerging industries, problems such as the short endurance of conventional lithium batteries and the bulkiness of existing fuel cell systems have become bottlenecks restricting industrial development, said Chen, who is also head of the power battery and system research department at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), Chinese Academy of Sciences.

A staff member checks a drone equipped with the "hydrogen heart" developed by a team of scientists in Dalian, Liaoning province, on May 10, 2025. [Photo by Song Wei/For chinadaily.com.cn]

On Sunday, the "high-specific-power cathode-closed air-cooled stack" technology developed by Chen's team, passed the scientific and technological achievement appraisal organized by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation.

The appraisal committee approved the technology, stating that the achievement is highly innovative, featuring advanced technical indicators and possessing independent intellectual property rights. The stack's specific power ranks among the highest in the world, and the overall technology has reached an internationally leading level. (source: China daily)

"The endurance of industrial drones equipped with this system has more than tripled compared with that of conventional batteries," said Chen Zhongwei, technical leader of the project.

According to him, the achievements have been successfully applied in real-world scenarios such as forestry, agriculture, power line inspection, and emergency rescue.

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