IE-SOAR fuel cell systems replace your battery and unlock long endurance flight
Intelligent Energy is a leading developer of PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell technology for drones and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Our lightweight, power-dense UAV fuel cell modules allow customers to bypass the constraints of traditional battery technology, significantly extending drone flight times and ranges while producing clean DC power in a robust and lightweight package that can be refuelled in minutes.
Our IE-SOAR drone fuel cell power modules (FCPMs) are ideal for a wide range of professional commercial applications, including offshore inspection, search and rescue, aerial photography and mapping, precision agriculture and more.
- Enable previously impossible applications – your business is no longer constrained by flight time.
- Unlock BVLOS operations – BVLOS makes sense with the range provided by fuel cells.
- Increase operational efficiency – spend 3x longer in the air and achieve more.
Jump down to learn more about our Fuel Cell Technology >
Fuel Cell Power Modules (FCPM)
Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Drones and UAVs
Our Fuel Cell Power Modules (FCPMs) for UAVs provide clean, efficient DC power from only hydrogen and ambient air, with zero emissions. With a higher energy-to-mass ratio than traditional battery systems, hydrogen fuel cells can provide commercial UAVs with over three times the flight endurance, allowing you to maximise productivity, minimise downtime and achieve more in a single drone flight.
IE-SOAR benefits:
- Direct battery replacement – 12S to 16S compatible – automatically follows load demand just like a battery.
- Designed for safety and reliability – Single point failure tolerant and with built in power system redundancy.
- Modular – combine systems in parallel for 2.4kW, 4.8kW outputs.
Fly Further | Fly Longer | Increase Productivity
Hydrogen cylinders are quick to refuel or swap out, and size can be specified for particular flight times and UAV payload capacities. Both FCPM and cylinder have multiple mounting possibilities, providing maximum flexibility for a variety of UAV airframes and missions. Custom cylinders can be commissioned for optimised flight time.
FCPMs are hybridised with a small battery, used to support the production of peak power and to provide redundancy. The system is vibration-free to prevent interference with drone cameras and other sensitive payloads.
Fuel cells vs. internal combustion engines
- Clean & zero-emission.
- Near silent operation.
- Reduced maintenance & no moving parts. No tuning.
- Vibration free for maximum stability.
Fuel cells vs. batteries
- Increased flight time.
- Fast refuelling.
- Built in power system redundancy.
Our FCPMs are available with 800W, 1.2kW and 2.4kW power outputs. Hydrogen fuel cells can be integrated into a variety of multi-rotor and fixed-wing UAV platforms, and can directly replace the existing battery in many drone applications.
Two 2.4kW power modules can also be linked in parallel to provide up to 4.8kW of power without the need for additional hardware. The FCPM provides continuous power to the UAV and is hybridised with a small battery to manage peak loads.
Specifications:
 |
 |
 |
|
| 2.4 kW Fuel Cell Module | 1.2 kW Fuel Cell Module | 800W Fuel Cell Module | |
| Maximum continuous power | 2400W | 1200W | 800W |
| Maximum peak power | 8000W | 8000W | 7500W |
| Output voltage (configurable between) | 48-70V | 48-70V | 22-50V |
| FCPM mass | 4800g | 2700g | 1450g |
| FCPM dimensions | 128 x 430 x 233mm | 128 × 246 × 233mm | 210 × 105 × 105mm 195 × 90 × 40mm |
| Regulator mass | 315g | 315g | 315g |
| Maximum regulator pressure | 350 bar/5000 psi | 350 bar/5000 psi | 350 bar/5000 psi |
| Default battery mass | 1070g | 1070g | 300g |
| Battery dimensions | 120 x 35 x 45mm | 135 × 40 × 40mm | 120 × 35 × 40mm |
| Default battery capacity | 3300mAh | 3300mAh | 1800mAh |
| Operating temperature range | -5 to 40°C | -5 to 40°C | 5 to 40°C |
| Maximum altitude | 3000m | 3000m | 3000m |
Learn more: UAV Fuel Cell Power Modules (FCPM)
IE-FLIGHT Fuel Cell Systems
Hydrogen fuel cells for heavy-lift drones and UAM
We have also developed a high-power fuel cell product line, designed to enable zero-emission flight for larger platforms such as heavy-lift cargo drones, eVTOL aircraft and UAM (urban air mobility) vehicles.
Providing outputs from 200kW up to multiple megawatts, the IE-FLIGHT range offers class-leading transient response as well as current and power densities. The advanced fuel cells feature a patented direct water injection cooling technology that requires no external humidification, as well as a high-temperature architecture that enables the use of smaller heat exchangers for a more compact design.
Learn more >> IE-FLIGHT Fuel Cell Systems
Drone Fuel Cell Technology
Fuel cells use electrochemical reactions to produce electricity without combustion. Hydrogen fuel cells combine hydrogen with oxygen from the air, emitting only heat and water as by-products. They are more efficient than internal combustion engines, and unlike batteries, do not need recharging and will continue to operate as long as they are provided with fuel.
PEM Fuel Cells
Fuel cell technology is both scalable and modular, providing the ability to simply stack cells together to achieve desired power output. PEM fuel cells, in which the electrolyte is a proton-conducting solid polymer membrane, feature the highest power densities, making them ideal for UAV applications where size, weight and power (SWaP) are often highly constrained.
Our drone fuel cells are air-cooled, with heat from the fuel cell stack conducted to cooling plates and removed through airflow channels, resulting in a simplified and cost-effective power solution.
