Universal Hydrogen closes after failing to secure funding

In February, Universal Hydrogen conducted a ground test run using its fuel cell powertrain with a proprietary liquid hydrogen module. By May, plans were underway for flight testing following earlier tests involving a De Havilland Dash 8 aircraft powered partially by hydrogen.

Universal Hydrogen aimed to obtain supplemental type certificates for converting Dash 8 and ATR 72 turboprop aircraft to operate over sectors of 500 nm with reserves for diversions. Their goal was commercial service by 2026.

Japan Airlines had shown interest in converting part of its fleet through a partnership agreement with Universal Hydrogen and H2Fly. Provisional sales agreements were also secured with Connect Airlines and Avmax Aircraft Leasing.

Investors included American Airlines, Airbus Ventures, GE Aviation, Toyota Ventures, and JetBlue Ventures. Paul Eremenko founded Universal Hydrogen in early 2020 but stepped down as CEO in April according to the Seattle Times.

Meanwhile, ZeroAvia continues developing hydrogen-electric propulsion systems for regional aircraft. The company opened a manufacturing facility in Everett, Washington and raised $116 million through Series C funding led by UK Infrastructure Bank among others.

ZeroAvia praised Universal Hydrogen's "vision and technical achievements" while highlighting its own financial backing from investors based on its strategic approach involving sequential development starting with smaller aircraft models.

Hydroplane is another innovator developing hydrogen-powered light aircraft under former NASA scientist Anita Sengupta’s leadership. In Europe, Swiss-based Sirius Aviation and Beyond Aero are working on hydrogen-powered business jets targeting ranges between 800-1,000 nm for three-to-eight passengers.