Drone Delivery Services (DDS) is procuring a hydrogen drone from HyFly in collaboration with Hive.Mobility and the Province of Groningen. The purchase is possible thanks to a contribution by the National Programme Groningen (NPG).
DDS is a startup that aims to deliver essential products via airspace. By using airspace, this should be faster, more reliable and safer than traditional transport methods. DDS provides unmanned logistics services by air.
Egbert Swierts, Drone Delivery Services: "The hydrogen drone that has been purchased is the very first hydrogen drone developed and built by North Netherlands-based manufacturer HyFly. For the applications of sustainably transporting medical goods, a hydrogen drone has never before been used in Europe. Drone Delivery Services has the ambition to be the first to make this possible".
Built by Dutch startup
The company is choosing a drone from HyFly. This is a Dutch startup based in Drachten that supplies hybrid drones. These drones can take off and land vertically, also called a VTOL drone. In flight, the drones fly like a normal aircraft. The drones use green hydrogen as fuel. Pieter Lantermans, HyFly: "As a drone manufacturer from the north of the Netherlands, we are very proud to offer our first hydrogen drone to a regional customer. We see this as the first step in a sustainable cooperation".
HyFly's drone is designed for transporting urgent goods in challenging environments. These include cities and offshore locations. Thanks to the use of a hydrogen fuel cell, the drone can transport relatively heavy loads over longer distances. The drone is equipped with a double wing that can rotate, making it more resistant to wind gusts around, for example, rooftops in cities.
Transition to more sustainable and smarter mobility
Ilse Mensink, Hive.Mobility programme manager: "A large network of partners in the Northern Netherlands is working together within Hive.Mobility on the transition to a more sustainable and smarter mobility of goods and people. Together, we join forces and share knowledge and expertise. The development taking place with the hydrogen drone is a great example of this and we wholeheartedly support it."
The drone will be tested within @North, a programme of the provinces of Groningen, Drenthe and Friesland that focuses on autonomous transport. The programme is aimed at testing autonomous transport on water, road and rail, as well as by air. Within this programme, DDS will focus on testing and validating autonomous flight techniques in the coming years. Think of innovative solutions such as smart and sustainable transport of medical goods or urgent parcels with drones. The programme will also investigate routes in rural areas in provinces and possibly the Wadden Islands.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Photo: Hive.Mobility
