Intelligent Energy continues to expand international distributor network and signs agreement with Korean based Hogreen Air
- Hogreen Air to work with Intelligent Energy to accelerate market for fuel cell UAVs in South Korea
- Hogreen will work with Intelligent Energy to achieve product certification within the region
Loughborough, 2 June 2020 – Intelligent Energy, the market leader for UAV lightweight Fuel Cell Power Modules has this week established a formal distribution agreement with Korean based Hogreen Air.
Intelligent Energy’s Fuel Cell Power Modules are the lightest and most power dense available on the market, offering many advantages for commercial UAV users. Intelligent Energy fuel cells achieve three times the flight duration compared to batteries and their lightweight design means they can lift larger UAVs and carry heavier payloads.
Hogreen Air are based in Gwangju, Republic of Korea and provide complete UAV solutions to government, defence and other industries. They also have extensive expertise in drone control and data handling.
As part of the agreement between the two companies, Hogreen will prepare and obtain Korean Certification (KC) for Intelligent Energy’s 2.4kW Fuel Cell Power Module (FCPM), in order to accelerate the product’s introduction into the Korean UAV market.
Lee Juby, Chief Sales Officer at Intelligent Energy, welcomed the news: “This is the third partnership announcement we have issued in the last few weeks which demonstrates our commitment to provide markets with our UAV FCPMs and offer integration and support services. Fuel cells are the only viable solution for commercial UAV operators who need significant flight time and we will now work closely with our partners who are based in the US, Korea and Japan. I am delighted to welcome Hogreen Air to our network.”
Offering an example of achievable flight time to show the difference an Intelligent Energy FCPM can make, Lee Juby added: “A retrospectively fitted 2.4kW mounted onto a DJI M600PRO frame with a 9 litre 300Bar hydrogen cylinder, could achieve a flight time of over 80 minutes compared to just 20 minutes with its battery power pack.”
Hong, Seong Ho, Chief Executive Officer of Hogreen Air added: “We are very pleased to be working with Intelligent Energy as part of this distribution agreement. We are very proud to be a company that will be a leader in the UAV hydrogen fuel cell market in Korea.
“We have developed a drone control system using the mobile communication network but have not been able to utilise this yet because of flight time limitations we experience when using batteries. We are delighted to be able to make great advances in the commercial UAV market as longer flight times are now possible. We believe that many of the challenges experienced by drone companies in Korea can be resolved through the application of Intelligent Energy’s fuel cell power products.”
ENDS
About Intelligent Energy
Intelligent Energy is focused on the development and manufacture of its Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell products for customers in the automotive, aerospace, generator, telecoms, materials handling and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sectors. The company is headquartered and manufactures in Loughborough in the UK, with additional offices and representation in the US, Japan, China and South Korea.
About Hogreen Air
Hogreen Air is a South Korean company who is developing Drone Control Systems by utilizing mobile communication network, for example Long term evolutuion (4G) and New Radio (5G). Hogreen Air has developed their own Ground Control System (GCS), Control Module and dual encryption algorithm for using their own system.
Also, Hogreen Air is working to make their own UAV Frame Manufacture for system optimisation. Hogreen Air is proceeding projects related to drones in all areas.
About Fuel Cells
Fuel cell technology is similar to battery technology in that individual cells are built up to give the desired power output. However, fuel cells do not run out of charge as batteries do and will produce power for as long as hydrogen fuel is provided to the cell. Hydrogen is readily available around the world, often generated using green energy.
Fuel cells are deployed in multiple applications where clean, lightweight, efficient and cost-effective power is required. Fast re-fuelling and lack of emissions makes fuel cell technology the immediate choice for forklift trucks and warehousing. Fuel cells are common place in clean construction and backup power for critical telecoms. Powering UAVs with fuel cells allows three times the flying time which gives significant advantages in applications such as aerial surveying and filming and delivery.
Zero emission hydrogen fuel cell technology will be preferred to battery technology in vehicles where rapid re-fuelling, high power and long range are important. Typical fuel cell applications include passenger cars, buses and trucks, along with smaller cars where a high availability is critical, e.g. taxis and shared vehicles. FCEVs are expected to be an integral part of the connected and autonomous vehicle (“CAV”) revolution over the coming years.
Fuel cells are expected to become a dominant technology in de-carbonised aerospace.