GKN-backed Start-up Focuses on Cryogenic Power Distribution

GKN Aerospace and the University of Nottingham are forming a joint venture to exploit motor technology advanced through H2Gear’s hydrogen propulsion research and development program. UK-based HP Drive Technologies will pursue applications in aerospace and other industries such as wind turbine energy production.

The UK government-funded H2Gear work, which has also involved multiple partners including low-cost carrier EasyJet, is set to conclude in June. It was launched in 2021 as a path to exploring options for new-generation regional airliners.

According to GKN chief technology officer Russ Dunn, the program has demonstrated the effectiveness of cryogenic power distribution and propulsion. However, he acknowledged that it did not achieve the objective of establishing acceptable permeability limits for hydrogen fuel tanks.

HP Drive will develop a cryogenically cooled 1-megawatt hydrogen-electric motor that Dunn said operates at unprecedented efficiency levels of 99%. The start-up is looking to raise further funding from other investors, GKN confirmed at a media briefing in London on April 30.

GKN is also advancing efforts to make hydrogen propulsion viable for commercial air transport use through further collaborative work with Airbus on cryogenic power distribution through the H2FlyGHT and ICEFlight programs. These are being conducted in tandem with its EWIS business in the Netherlands.

According to Dunn, lessons learned from the H2Gear research have influenced key decisions for the Airbus-led ZeroE project to develop a hydrogen-powered airliner for service entry by the early 2040s. For instance, early plans called for hydrogen fuel storage to be decentralized using pods, but the airframer is now looking at a more centralized architecture. “Without H2Gear, we wouldn’t have known where to focus next,” he concluded.

R&D Priority Shifts

GKN chief executive Peter Dilnot told reporters that proportionately, hydrogen will become less of an R&D focus for the group, while work on other forms of electric propulsion could see more effort. Having supported several electric aircraft developers, including Vertical Aerospace, Supernal, and Eviation, GKN is now prioritizing work with Archer Aviation and its partner Anduril.

Another shift in investment strategy involves prioritizing defense sector work on collaborative combat aircraft—a concept in which uncrewed air systems are paired with piloted fighters and other military platforms. With European NATO states under increasing pressure to boost defense spending, Dilnot said that developing technologies over which they have sovereign control has become increasingly critical in order to avoid dependence on a U.S. administration that has not ruled out deserting the alliance.

The other key R&D investment priority for GKN is additive manufacturing, which Dilnot described as a core technology for the group. The group is seeking to replace costly and expensive forgings and castings in more of its aerostructures work. It has already built the largest additive-manufactured load-bearing spar for the Wing of Tomorrow program.

“This addresses a fundamental supply chain issue,” Dilnot concluded. “It is a big play for us and one in which we are willing to spend our shareholders’ money.”