• 24 Oct 2021 07:09 PM
• 0

HyPoint Partners with BASF on Hydrogen Fuel Cell

On Oct. 8, HyPoint, a California-based startup specializing in zero-emission aviation, announced that it had partnered with German chemical firm BASF to develop high-performance fuel cell membranes for HyPoint’s hydrogen fuel cell system. HyPoint and BASF New Business GmbH, a subsidiary of BASF, intend to develop a new proton-conductive membrane with “stronger mechanical properties” that can operate at higher temperatures and a higher pressure differential. The result, said HyPoint, will enable a new hydrogen fuel cell capable of producing more than 3,500 W/kg, a 50% increase over its current system. HyPoint said that the improved performance of the new fuel cell system will open the way for larger aircraft to adopt the technology. It is expected to become available in 2024. The announcement comes on the heels of a development agreement between HyPoint and Piasecki Aircraft Corporation in August 2021 to develop hydrogen fuel cells for eVTOL aircraft (see “Future Fuel: HyPoint’s Hydrogen Revolution,” Vertiflite, Sept/Oct 2021).