Dovetail signs deal for hydrogen fuel cell trials

Dovetail, which is 20 per cent owned by Rex, will use HTWO’s fuel cells for initial testing in Australia as a preliminary step to full-scale trials, with an eye to conducting a first flight next year. The HTWO system will be integrated with Dovetail’s Iron Bird, which was successfully tested last year.

“This opportunity will enable us to combine our expertise in aviation with HTWO’s expertise in fuel cell technology to develop innovative solutions for a sustainable future in aviation,” said Dovetail CEO David Doral.

In a statement, Dovetail and Rex said the hydrogen fuel cell testing is a significant step towards a more sustainable aviation industry.

“HTWO’s expertise in fuel cell technology, coupled with Dovetail’s proprietary aviation technology, will bring significant advancements to the aerospace industry,” the companies said.

“This opportunity will allow Dovetail Electric Aviation to continue to develop and refine its electric propulsion system, enhancing it with the power of hydrogen and extending its applicability and value for future operators.”

Dovetail has been making waves with its talk of electrification and has partnered with Rex to convert several of its 61 Saab 340 turbine aircraft into electric planes. Rex believes the effect could reduce operating costs by 40 per cent – a major change considering the high expense of regional routes.

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According to the airline’s deputy chairman John Sharp, one of Rex’s 34-seat Saab 340s – retrofitted with an electric and hydrogen-powered MagniX engine – will be used to trial the technology on short routes such as Adelaide to Mount Gambier by next year.

“We will be doing trials in 2024, with a real aircraft, where we’ll swap out the existing engine, which burns jet fuel,” Sharp told the ABC last year. “And we’ll put in an electric motor that will be supported by a combination of both batteries and hydrogen.”

Additionally, hydrogen has been in focus after the formation of a new Hydrogen Flight Alliance, which is aiming to see commercial hydrogen-powered flights by 2026.

Queensland-based regional carrier Skytrans is looking to fly between Brisbane and Gladstone using a 15-seat Stralis B1900D-HE, which is a modified Beechcraft 1900D turboprop plane designed and built in Brisbane by Stralis Aircraft. The engines and kerosene fuel system will be replaced by a Hydrogen Electric Propulsion System (HEPS) and liquid hydrogen storage tank, which will emit only water vapour.