INFORMATIONAL

April 2019

FCair™
The Complete Hydrogen Solution
for Commercial UAVs

3 x The Range of Batteries

CONTENTS

UAS Landscape ............................................................................................................... 2

Is Hydrogen the Right Solution? ..................................................................................... 2
Rapid Refueling............................................................................................................... 4
Scalable Modular Power Systems .................................................................................. 4
Silent, Zero Emission Power ........................................................................................... 5
The Ballard Hydrogen UAS Solution ............................................................................... 5
Fuel Cell Products ........................................................................................................... 6
Commercial Platform Integration ................................................................................... 6
Refueling in the Field ...................................................................................................... 8
Hydrogen on Demand ..................................................................................................... 8
Hydrogen UAS Economics............................................................................................... 8
Assumptions ................................................................................................................. 9
Summary ....................................................................................................................... 11

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UAS Landscape
Aerial surveillance, mapping and infrastructure inspection have long been carried out by manned helicopters
and airplanes. Disruptive technology advancements in unmanned vehicle avionics, control, and low-cost
manufacturing, as well as LIDAR, automated mapping and large-scale data management over the last 10 years
have ushered in an era of unmanned vehicle
and drone use for these previously manned
missions. Commercial small Unmanned Aerial
Systems (sUAS) are seeing rapid adoption into
large scale industrial applications such as
mining, oil and gas, infrastructure, agriculture
and construction.

In response to the massive industrial push for

broad scale use of Small Unmanned Aircraft
Systems (sUAS), the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) has engaged with industry
to provide necessary regulation that allows for
safe Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) UAS
operation within an airspace shared with Figure 1 Commercial UAS Market Fractions (FAA Website)
manned aircraft. In May of 2018 the FAA
announced its first UAS Integration Pilot Program designed to assess the needs and regulatory requirements of
UAS operations not currently allowed under Part 107 of Chapter 14 of the Federal Code of Regulations. As joint
testing continues into 2019, the Department of Transportation in the US has already begun proposing new
regulation changes to Part 107 expanding certain drone flight conditions that would allow for flights over people
and at night without waivers (www.faa.gov).

The rapid adoption and regulatory advancement of commercial drones by the FAA and DOT is a testament to the
need and demand for drone technology throughout industry. With the FAA moving aggressively to ensure that
regulation is not the limiting factor in development of this market, the idea of waiver-free BVLOS operation is
quickly beginning to materialize. Once Part 107 has successfully incorporated BVLOS operations, established
services and business entities with multi-hour endurance UAS platforms will hold the advantage both in
capability and cost.

Is Hydrogen the Right Solution?

Batteries and Internal Combustion (IC) engines are the dominant power solutions found in today’s UAS fleets.
This is in part because; 1. Batteries offer a well-known, simple and easy to integrate power solution that
demonstrates linear scaling characteristics. 2. IC engines having been around for decades, are well understood
technologies and offer improved energy density when compared to batteries.

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The industry is realizing that batteries alone are heavy (low relative energy density), deplete quickly during flight
and typically require recharge times 2x-3x longer than the flight time they deliver. Furthermore, as drone
services grow and fleet size expands, the sheer quantity of batteries that must be charged, tracked, stored,
transported and disposed of on a regular basis creates significant logistical challenges. Additionally, acquiring
safe-to-fly approval of lithium batteries is difficult or impossible depending upon battery size, forcing drone
service providers to ship batteries via ground. Transportation of lithium batteries from place to place is currently
expensive and very labor intensive for the commercial operator.

Despite their less appealing performance as a sole power source, batteries can be a significant asset when
hybridized with another type of prime power generator such as an IC engine or a fuel cell power system. Battery
hybridized power systems allow designers to optimize an IC engine or fuel cell around nominal rather than peak
power demand. Adding the hybrid battery often allows for a smaller and lighter ‘engine’, able to operate in its
most efficient range. The hybrid battery then only needs to provide short duration differences in power
between nominal and peak demand and is often slowly charged by the primary power system during nominal
operation. As such the battery is much smaller than in pure battery-powered UAVs, and far fewer are needed –
significantly simplifying battery logistics.

Figure 2 UAV in an extreme environment

An alternative to batteries, IC engines are desirable because they offer higher energy densities than battery
counterparts, resulting in longer flight times and range. The challenge with this power option is that it comes at
a significantly higher capital expense (initial cost) than batteries and also includes a more costly maintenance
cycle. IC engines sized for most <55 lb UAS require overhaul every 200-300 flight hours and overhaul cost can
often exceed 30% of engine cost. In addition, overhauls are very labor intensive, and most engines can be
overhauled a limited number of times before being scrapped. Finally, in many designs the engine cannot be
quickly swapped, and so the entire aircraft is out of service during the overhaul.

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A third option, the hydrogen fuel cell power system is an efficient and simple system that provides
environmentally friendly, zero-emission power in a lightweight, low maintenance solution. Fuel cells are
dramatically quieter than IC engines, and much higher energy density than batteries. However, fuel cells exhibit
lower power density (thrust generated per kilogram of weight) than batteries and IC engines. This means that a
heavier fuel cell is needed for the same amount of lift, resulting in a larger fuel tank to offset the weight. A fuel
cell is typically hybridized with a high-discharge lithium battery in Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL)
platforms that require high peak power when not in forward flight.

Figure 3 UAV surveying in telecom environment

Despite the need for a hybridized battery, hydrogen fuel cell power systems offer energy densities that can add
2x-3x to flight duration of <55 lb UAS. In the case of a heavy lift hex-rotor this can boost flight times from 30
minutes to >90 minutes and vastly improve the efficiency of a sUAS monitoring or inspection operation.

Rapid Refueling
Fuel cells require an onboard, pressurized hydrogen tank that can be sized for the desired mission duration and
payload. With a removable tank design concept, the time it takes to swap out a spent tank for a full tank
between flights is minimal. In hybrid fuel cell systems, the small onboard battery is also able to keep platform
telemetry and navigation active during fuel swap so that operators do not need to wait the long minutes on
restart for navigation and GPS to re-engage as they would on many battery or IC powered platforms.

Scalable Modular Power Systems

Like batteries, fuel cells are highly scalable: They can be readily connected in parallel to provide as much power
is needed for a given aircraft. A typical airborne fuel cell propulsion system will include one composite hydrogen

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storage vessel (or tank), and a regulator that reduces the high pressure in the tank to the low pressure used by
the fuel cell(s). This regulator in turn supplies hydrogen to one, two, three, or more fuel cell systems, which in
turn charge a single shared battery or battery bank. The battery can provide peak power levels needed by the
electronic speed control as it makes rapid adjustments to motor power levels, but it is kept at or near full charge
by the fuel cell(s) for the duration of the mission.

Silent, Zero Emission Power

One of the largest impediments to commercial drone deployments is noise complaints by people near the air
operations. IC engine based platforms are particularly susceptible to this: while battery-powered drones are very
difficult to hear when they reach an altitude of 200-300 feet, IC engines are still audible up to the Part 107 limit
of 400 feet. Because fuel cell systems turn hydrogen gas and air into electrical power using a chemical process
rather than by burning the fuel in a combustion chamber, they are almost as silent as batteries: only a few
pumps and fans make any noise at all.

A significant benefit of fuel cell systems, particularly in many urban areas, is that the only waste product created
by the systems is water. By minimizing lithium battery waste and eliminating combustion exhaust, hydrogen fuel
cell based sUAS propulsion systems deliver clean renewable power for a sustainable planet.

The Ballard Hydrogen UAS Solution

Ballard Unmanned Systems fuel cell systems have been powering
UAS with hydrogen for over ten years, enabling longer, more
robust flight times than batteries and IC engines. As waiver free
BVLOS operability nears, Ballard is positioning itself as a market
enabler, delivering cost competitive hydrogen power solutions
that make possible the multi-hour flight durations required by
commercial operators. Ballard is working with industry partners
to deliver a complete hydrogen solution that incorporates not
just the fuel cell system but high pressure flight tanks and Figure 4 FCair™ 600W Hydrogen Fuel Cell
regulators, field recharging solutions and hydrogen on
demand so that operators have easy access to hydrogen and all related system components, no matter how
remote the mission.

Hydrogen awareness and operational familiarity is low within the UAS community, and Ballard is committed to
working with industry to advance education and safe deployment of hydrogen power for not only UAVs, but also
for automotive, truck, bus, rail, and marine applications. While industrial and lab-grade hydrogen are widely
available throughout North America, they are specialty gasses and the vast majority of sUAS operators have no
exposure to or comfort with them. Ballard has engaged with suppliers to deliver multiple hydrogen sourcing and
refueling options wherever commercial drones are deployed. While hydrogen safety training is imperative for
operators pursuing fuel cell capabilities, these refueling solutions minimize specialized gas handling knowledge,

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while maximizing safety and efficiency. The Ballard FCair™ solution provides on-site hydrogen, simple and safe
refueling capabilities and long lasting power to keep sUAS in the air longer.

Fuel Cell Products

In 2019 Ballard is unveiling two commercial fuel cell systems; the FCair™ 600, a 600 watt fuel cell power system
for small fixed wing and ultra-efficient hybrid VTOL platforms; and the FCair™ 1200, a 1200 watt system for
heavy lift multi-rotor and larger fixed wing and hybrid VTOL platforms. The FCair™ product line incorporates
Ballard’s lightest weight fuel cell stack design paired with a rugged and equally light weight balance of plant. The
FCair™ systems are engineered to deliver next generation competitive advantages over lithium batteries and IC
engines, providing longer lasting power, less maintenance down time and a better return on investment for
sUAS operations.

The power systems were designed with the commercial operator in mind and provide battery hybridization
options enabling peak power outputs up to 2 kilowatts. The fuel cell systems deliver regulated and unregulated
power options with a range of voltage output, battery charging, and telemetry configurations to meet the needs
of off-the-shelf and custom sUAS platforms.

To add flexibility to mechanical integration, the FCair™ 1200 is available as a single system or as a set of two 600
watt systems electrically configured in parallel. Configurability of the 1200 watt system adds flexibility to aircraft
mechanical layout and provides power system redundancy.

Ballard is actively engaging OEM platform manufacturers and sUAS commercial operators to gain market
understanding and guidance on power system requirements across multiple sUAS platforms and market
verticals. Ballard is already incorporating early feedback from commercial operators to expand the product line
to include larger 2+ kilowatt systems with improvements in both power and energy density.

Commercial Platform Integration

Ballard has worked with a small set of key partners over the last decade to successfully develop, integrate and
deploy fuel cell power systems on multiple fixed wing platforms, demonstrating improving flight capabilities and
the value proposition around hydrogen power. The recent growth of commercial sUAS use across multiple
market verticals has compelled Ballard to expand aerial platform integration expertise beyond fixed wing
platforms to include modern multi-rotor and hybrid VTOL craft.

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 Figure 5 Ballard's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Hexcopter

The fuel cell power system is only one piece of the complete FCair™ hydrogen UAV solution. Ballard has
partnered with HyPerComp Engineering (www.hypercompeng.com) to provide rugged, ultra-light weight, high
pressure hydrogen flight tanks for on-board fuel storage that meet Ballard’s high standard of safety and optimal
performance. Ballard is working hand-in-hand with multiple industry partners to provide hydrogen pressure
regulation hardware between the 6000 PSI flight tanks and the low pressure power system. For both gas
regulation and hydrogen storage, Ballard is engaged with industry partners and government regulators to create
standards for the safe use and operation of hydrogen within the UAV community.

As part of Ballard’s mission in 2019 to deliver the complete commercial hydrogen UAV solution to industry,
Ballard chose to partner with BFD Systems (www.bfdsystems.com), a custom platform design company, to
create a fuel cell powered hex-rotor for heavy lift applications. The hydrogen powered hex-rotor UAV is
intended to bridge the gap between prototype and commercial system deployment within the industry and raise
end user understanding and awareness of hydrogen power. Ballard seeks to work with UAS service providers,
commercial operators and OEM aircraft manufacturers to evaluate the system and provide guidance on optimal
power scale, mission duration needs and other deployment logistics within their operations, and quantify
requirements for custom and off-the-shelf aircraft.

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Refueling in the Field
Commercial UAS operations typically require multiple missions per day and need a rapid refueling solution to
minimize down time and maximize continuity of operations. Operators often need refilling solutions both at
centralized staging facilities and in the field during client site operations. Generally speaking, simple, safe and
portable hydrogen refueling solutions are necessary along with a local and easily accessible hydrogen supply.

Small portable hydrogen refueling systems are not commercially available and Ballard has committed to bringing
those systems to market. One such effort is a joint development between Ballard Unmanned Systems and
NANOSUN Limited (www.nanosun.co.uk). The joint development aims to deliver portable hydrogen cascade
refueling technology to commercial operators featuring safe and simple tank refueling at the push of a button,
yet rugged enough to meet field refueling needs. Efforts are ongoing and will be available for end user
evaluations in late 2019. Initial prototype refueling systems will be deployed with end user groups to
demonstrate and learn more about the hydrogen refueling logistics requirements of sUAS operations.

Hydrogen on Demand
Providing a portable and lightweight hydrogen refueling solution is critical to successful deployment of hydrogen
powered sUAS. Equally critical is assuring that operators have the hydrogen they need when and where it is
needed. Ballard is actively working with local and national hydrogen gas distributors to streamline the gas
procurement and delivery process, reducing the logistics
burden for the commercial operator. These partnerships
will assure that operators are able to place a hydrogen
delivery request and have gas cylinders available to them
on a timescale that fits UAS business operations.

Due to the often remote locations of UAS operations, gas

cylinder deliveries must also incorporate storage
containment and a safe means to secure and protect the
cylinders from damage or theft. Ballard is creating an
ecosystem around hydrogen use in the sUAS community
Figure 6 4.3 liter hydrogen tank
where this becomes the standard and hydrogen use
around the world becomes simple, safe and available for all
users.

Hydrogen UAS Economics

Industrial sUAS platforms can easily climb in cost to $20,000 - $35,000 in addition to having payloads that often
carry a price tag in excess of the $100,000 mark. Commercial operators are often sensitive to the high cost of
hardware associated with UAS platforms and must create business models that ensure acceptable returns on
investment. The UAS power system is no exception to that model and operators must evaluate the different

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capital expenditures and maintenance costs associated with their selection of batteries, IC engines or fuel cells
as power sources for their vehicles. An equally important component to selection of the most appropriate UAS
power system is operational feasibility and operational expense. The UAS and power system must be capable of
completing the expected mission and must do it with operational expenses that enable sustainable return on
investment.

How do fuel cell power systems compare?

Procurement of fuel cell power systems for a < 55lb
sUAS will cost an operator $25,000 - $45,000 per
vehicle on initial investment and run slightly higher in
price than that of a similar rated IC engine based
power system. The fuel cell solution includes a DC
power generation system with hybrid battery,
hydrogen regulator and high pressure fuel tank while
the IC engine solution requires an engine, generator
and fuel tank. Battery based power systems on the
other hand, offer a small initial investment, typically
in the $500 - $3,000 range per vehicle. Operators often Figure 7 30,000 Acre Area of the Permian Basin
utilize two batteries per vehicle and carry upwards of 2
spare sets to maximize daily flight time. In a comparison of initial investment costs, fuel cell systems range
slightly higher in cost than IC engines and both investments are an order of magnitude more expensive than
batteries.

Understanding the value proposition of a hydrogen system relative to other power generation types also
requires performance assessment against real operator applications. Maintaining assumptions that an industrial
scale single or multi-rotor VTOL aircraft is used, inspection of a 30,000 Acre oil drilling lease with 10 wells per
square mile can be evaluated based on a realistic set of assumptions.

Assumptions
 Daily inspection of the entire 30,000 acre lease
 400 acres can be scanned every 30 minutes
 Flight times
 Batteries – 30 Min
 IC engine – 45 Min
 Fuel cell – 90 Min
 Annual average of 6 usable hours in a day (8 hour days with 25% loss due to bad weather, travel etc.)
 20-30 Min down time between cycles for system shutdown, fuel/battery reload and startup
 Two flight operators are required per vehicle (Pilot and Spotter)Flight operator labor rate of $23/hr1

1
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Field_Service_Technician/Hourly_Rate/cd03b558/Midland-TX

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Using a battery operated industrial VTOL sUAS as the baseline for oil drilling lease inspection, commercial
operators can expect it to take 13 days to complete the full lease inspection using a single drone. Should the
lease require inspection daily, operators can expect to perform approximately 2150 missions per year. A team of
26 operators and fleet of 13 sUAS would be required, operating 52 weeks a year at a rough labor cost of $1.5
million to complete the 2,150 annual missions. In comparison, utilizing a hydrogen powered sUAS that allows an
additional 60 minutes of flight time per mission reduces down time and increases operational efficiency during
flight missions. Operational improvements using hydrogen power in replace of battery power can enable
inspection time reduction of the same 30,000 acre lease from 13 days to eight days. Increasing fleet capability to
perform daily lease inspection, operators can expect to fly 1200 missions annually requiring a team of 16
operators and eight vehicles at an annual labor cost of $650,000. Switching from battery power to hydrogen
power in a sUAS fleet can reduce annual labor costs by 35% and decrease fleet size by 38%.

sUAS Fleet Investment Comparison

30,000 Acre Oil Well Inspection - Performed Daily

$2,500,000

$2,000,000

$1,500,000

$1,000,000

$500,000

$0
Fleet Capital Annual Power System Annual Pilot Labor Total Annual Cost
Investment Cost Cost

Battery UAS Fleet IC Engine UAS Fleet Hydrogen UAS Fleet

Figure 8 Oil and Gas Case Study – Using Hydrogen Power Reduces Fleet Size and Bottom Line Annual Operating Costs

Converting to a hydrogen based sUAS can help commercial operators drastically reduce fleet size and curb the
high initial capital investment associated with building a new sUAS fleet. Despite the higher individual vehicle
cost of hydrogen power it is greatly out-weighted by the savings realized in having a smaller, more effective fleet
of sUAS. Long system life and low maintenance cycles of hydrogen power systems well offset the added costs of

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hydrogen fuel and refueling infrastructure required for operation making the zero emission power source a
competitive option for sUAS applications.

Comparison of the investment and operating expenses shown in Figure 8 demonstrates the capacity for savings
by choosing a hydrogen fueled VTOL sUAS fleet rather than a battery or IC engine powered fleet. It should be
noted that the above power system comparison pertains to VTOL inspection only and does not incorporate fixed
wing operations such as pipeline or agriculture inspection. Value proposition and performance metrics vary
depending on the type of mission and sUAS design chosen.

Summary
Integration of sUAS into previously manned operations throughout industrial and commercial sectors is growing
rapidly all over the world. As sUAS businesses begin to grow and realize the true capability and financial cost
benefits of unmanned aerial vehicles, the demand for longer flight capacity and greater on-board energy storage
becomes a more evident and glaring problem. Fuel cell systems offer the benefit of zero emission and silent
operation using renewable hydrogen gas while providing the sUAS industry with an immediate and economical
solution to the need for longer flight times and greater operational efficiency.

For the commercial operator, building a fleet of hydrogen powered sUAS means a higher investment in the
individual sUAS platform for the benefit of increased operational effectiveness that reduces overall fleet size and
lifetime maintenance requirements. With a smaller, more capable fleet, operators save on capital expenses
setting up their business and realize continued returns year after year through less vehicle maintenance and a
smaller logistical footprint.

Ballard is actively building a hydrogen ‘ecosystem’ in the unmanned vehicle community and helping to make
BVLOS a reality without compromising a company commitment to clean energy. Ballard is committed to
engaging with industry partners to deliver the best possible complete hydrogen solution to commercial sUAS
operators throughout the world.

For more information please contact Ballard’s Unmanned Systems Fuel Cell Experts:

Ballard Power Systems, Inc.

www.ballard.com

marketing@ballard.com

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