Lack of Funding Shuts Hydrogen Propulsion Pioneer Stralis

Australian start-up Stralis Aircraft has abandoned its plans to bring its hydrogen-electric propulsion technology to market. In a statement issued on August 19, the company said it has been unable to raise sufficient capital to advance projects such as converting the Beech 1900 twin turboprop and developing its own 50-seat SA-1-HE regional airliner.

The decision to close the company came less than a month after it conducted taxi trials with a converted Beechcraft A36 Bonanza technology demonstrator at Brisbane International Airport (YBBN) on July 29. Last year, Stralis announced launch customers including U.S. company Aviate Enterprises, which planned to buy multiple Bonanza aircraft, and German regional airline start-up Evia Aero, which provisionally committed to 10 Beech 1900D-HE models.

Stralis had been aiming to secure a supplemental type certificate for converting the Bonanza by the end of 2026. Last year, along with an Australian company called AMSL Aero that is developing a new aircraft called the Vertiia, Stralis partnered with New Zealand-based Fabrum to install liquid hydrogen fuel tanks at Christchurch Airport (NZCH), where they planned to conduct flight testing.

“The market for hydrogen-electric aviation is still forming, and Stralis reached the limit of how long it could wait,” the company said in a statement thanking investors and prospective customers. “The technology proved itself. However, bringing a certified commercial aircraft to market is a long and capital-intensive journey. For most airlines today, the commercial case for hydrogen does not yet outweigh the additional costs, operational changes and infrastructure investment it requires. Without the industry pull, raising the capital to see it through proved beyond Stralis’s reach.”

Earlier this year, ZeroAvia confirmed that it has scaled back its plans to convert regional airliners such as the Dash 8 with its ZA600 and ZA2000 fuel cell-based powertrains. Instead, the U.S./UK-based company said it is focusing on other uses for its 200-kilowatt ZA200 system, including potential military applications.

Just over two years ago, Universal Hydrogen shut down after failing to raise sufficient funding for its plans to convert regional airliners to use its megawatt-class hydrogen propulsion system. However, French start-up Beyond Aero says it is progressing development work for its BYA-1 hydrogen-powered business jet, having completed the preliminary design review in March.