"You might spend more money on our product in upfront cost; it’s about ten times higher, but you’d have to buy more than ten sets of #batteries to run for 1,500 hours," said Andy Kelly from Intelligent Energy.
For operators scaling industrial #drone missions, the math is clear — hydrogen-powered #UAVs fly longer, reduce fleet downtime, and slash total cost of ownership.
With 3X the endurance of lithium-powered #drones, Intelligent Energy’s IE-SOAR fuel cells are already transforming industries such as mapping, LiDAR surveying, infrastructure inspection, and defence. In real-world tests, a hydrogen-powered UAV flew 483% longer than a battery-powered drone under identical conditions.
At the Commercial UAV News Expo 2024, Andy Kelly, Head of Product at Intelligent Energy, joined our Co-founder and CEO, Eszter Kovács, to discuss why #hydrogen is the key to scalable #UAV operations, beyond #BVLOS limitations, and ready for commercial adoption today. From offshore wind farm inspections covering 150 miles in a single flight to eliminating fleet downtime with 1,500-hour fuel cell lifespans, Intelligent Energy is reshaping UAV capabilities and making industrial drone operations truly viable.
Watch the full interview to hear Andy’s insights on how hydrogen UAVs are unlocking new commercial opportunities and driving industry-wide adoption.
Eszter Kovács is the Co-founder and CEO of the DroneTalks Group, which is a collection of services and platforms advancing the entirety of the drone industry ecosystem. Currently, members of the DroneTalks Group include DroneTalks, DroneTalks Jobs and Aerial Cities.
DroneTalks is an online platform created to spread ideas and educate professionals in the drone industry ecosystem. Our educational content empowers people of every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the industry and the innovative ideas within it.
DroneTalks Jobs is the first job portal tailored for the drone industry. The platform connects emerging organisations with skilled professionals seeking new opportunities in this rapidly evolving field.
Aerial Cities is an exclusive, invite-only event for decision-makers in the drone and advanced air mobility (AAM) industries. The event enables governments, cities, CAAs, private drone organisations and users to collaborate and strategise the future of urban drone operations.
Eszter Kovács is also a drone industry expert and regularly contributes to major magazines about the latest trends; these include publications such as Commercial UAV News and Commercial Drone Professional. In addition to this, she is an advisor for several start-ups, such as Globhe. Her role as an advisor extends as well to her role on the advisory board of drone-related initiatives like AUVSI Xponential and Commercial UAV while also fulfilling her commitment as a Swiss Drone Industry Association board member.
These roles are backed by her extensive experience as a technical innovation expert where she contributed to the growth of several companies after leading and mentoring the implementation of complex projects in the drone industry. Eszter still continues to advise leaders on strategic planning and operational transformation initiatives. In 2020, she was also approached by the Global UTM Association to become the director of more than 40 UTM leaders through a 6-month restructuring initiative.
Eszter Kovács is also head of one of the largest diversity initiatives in the drone industry called Women behind the Drone Revolution, which was launched in 2020.
Learn more about Eszter Kovács at DroneTalks.online and follow her on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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