Airbus is about to receive an auxiliary power unit (APU) customized by H3 Dynamics to run on a 500-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell. The European aerospace group plans to use the demonstrator unit to replace a conventional APU on a 400-seat A330 airline for test flights.
The test program announced at the June 2023 Paris Air Show is part of the Airbus UpNext technology unit’s work on hydrogen propulsion. Under its ZeroE program, Airbus intends to bring a 200-seat hydrogen-powered airliner into service by 2035 with an operational range of around 2,000 nm.
Airbus is expected to integrate the hydrogen APU with the aircraft in the next few months. H3 has designed it to meet aerospace standards and also has produced a digital twin to support testing.
According to H3, APUs, which support non-propulsive aircraft functions like air conditioning and cabin electrical power, present an early opportunity to reduce carbon emissions by deploying hydrogen power. The Toulouse-based company is developing a range of hydrogen fuel cell units, with power outputs of between 50 kilowatts and 2 megawatts to support various in-flight and ground power needs.