Universal Hydrogen successfully completed a ferry flight of its hydrogen fuel cell-powered turboprop aircraft to the Mojave Air & Space Port from Moses Lake, Wash., on June 26, 2023. The company plans to build a substantial presence in Mojave to continue its test flight efforts.
“In our relentless pursuit to decarbonize aviation, moving our flight testing to Mojave brings us closer to our headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., ensuring optimal coordination with the team,” says Mark Cousin, CTO of Universal Hydrogen.
Dash-8 is a modified 40- passenger regional airliner, powered on one side by a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain. The test aircraft has been dubbed “Lightning McClean” and flew down the West Coast with four stops across Oregon and California, covering 800 nautical miles before landing at Mojave.
A few Mojave tenants were told in advance of the historic flight and were on hand to welcome the crew and aircraft to Mojave Air and Space Port.
Universal Hydrogen said in a press release that they are making hydrogen-powered commercial flight a near-term reality. The company takes a flexible, scalable, and capital-light approach to hydrogen logistics by transporting it in modular capsules over the existing freight network from green production sites directly to the airplane anywhere in the world. The company is targeting regional and narrow body/single aisle airplanes as the near-term and most impactful decarburization opportunities. Universal Hydrogen is also working to certify a power train conversion kit to retrofit existing regional aircraft to fly on hydrogen.
According to the company, they are achieving true zero-emission aviation with renewable hydrogen, and have selected the Mojave Air and Space Port to be their new flight test center. The plan is to conduct additional test flights gearing up to enter commercial service in late 2025.
This move signals the next phase in its extensive flight-testing regimen. Since its initial successful flight test on March 2,†earlier this year, Universal Hydrogen has achieved four subsequent test flights, maintaining its planned trajectory for the two-year flight test campaign expected to culminate in 2025.
During its second flight, the converted aircraft achieved a 30-minute flight at 170 knots of indicated airspeed (KIAS), ascending to 5,000 feet. Further strides were made in the third and fourth flight tests completed on June 12, where the aircraft reached altitudes of 10,000 feet.
“We extend our gratitude to Washington State and specifically Moses Lake for their invaluable support as we began our historic test flights with the largest hydrogen fuel cell-powered aircraft. Our calculated testing strategy guarantees the safety of our converted aircraft, propelling us towards our goal to have it in service within the next two years,” said Cousin.
Moving closer to Universal Hydrogen’s global headquarters in Hawthorne, and moving the aircraft and flight test activities to Mojave represents a substantial increase in its presence in the state and will allow the company to take advantage of a strong engineering talent pool in Mojave as well as nearby Los Angeles.
“Bringing Universal Hydrogen to the Mojave Air and Space Port is a big win for us and the local community,” said Tim Reid, general manager of the facility. “With their research and development, Universal Hydrogen’s technology will be a total game changer for zero emission flight within the next decade, meeting the environmental goals of California while advancing the industry with a new, sustainable energy source. We are extremely excited to have Universal Hydrogen testing their concept at the Space Port.”
California is a leader in both renewable hydrogen production as well as sustainable aviation, the press release said. The state has announced its participation in the U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Hubs competition through the creation of the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Systems (ARCHES), of which Universal Hydrogen is a partner and sponsor, and the state has previously provided the company with a $5 million development grant through the California Office of Business Development— aka “GO-Biz”. The move of the company’s test flight efforts to California is greeted with anticipation and excitement from California officials.
“Universal Hydrogen is proving that true zero emission is achievable with renewable hydrogen even in a sector like aviation, which is difficult to decarbonizes,” said Chair David Hochschild of the California Energy Commission. “Basing their test flight operations in Mojave will supercharge a site of significant aviation and space history and create good-paying jobs for Californians as we ramp up our efforts to combat climate change.”
Dee Dee Myers, GO-Biz director and senior adviser to Governor Gavin Newsom said, “Universal Hydrogen expanding their footprint in California will help us achieve our ambitious targets on carbon reduction while bolstering our nation-leading, green economy,” said. “We welcome these types of innovative companies growing their presence here and look forward to watching their exciting progress in the coming years.”