Press Release

Issued by magniX.

September 15, 2020

magniX, the company powering the electric aviation revolution, today announced that it has entered a partnership with Universal Hydrogen, an end-to-end fuel logistics company making hydrogen-powered commercial flight a near-term reality. To promote near-term adoption of hydrogen in commercial aviation, Universal Hydrogen is developing a retrofit conversion kit for the De Havilland Canada DHC8-Q300, which will also be applicable to the ATR 42 family of aircraf, to a hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrain. magniX will be providing the electric propulsion system powering the converted 40-passenger regional aircraft.

Universal Hydrogen's plan for the Dash 8 includes a two-megawatt class electric propulsion system on each wing, which will be provided by magniX. magniX has repeatedly demonstrated leadership in building practical, fully electric commercial aviation solutions, including the eBeaver, which started flying with Harbour Air in December 2019, and the eCaravan, Which started flying in May 2020. Powering the Dash 8 with magniX's electric propulsion will mark another step in scaling up magniX's zero-emission commercial aviation propulsion solutions to regional commercial aircraft.

"There is a clear need for a step change in emissions reduction in commercial aviation, and hydrogen-based, carbon-free power is the future of the industry," said Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen. "When looking for our propulsion partner, magniX stood out as a clear proven leader with a track record of delivering the best in aerospace-grade electric propulsion. We look forward to watching the successful flights of our fully carbon-free Dash 8."

"Universal Hydrogen, through its hydrogen transport and distribution infrastructure solution, is on a path to change the way regional flight is achieved and transform it from being powered by decades-old, expensive, polluting technology to low-cost clean solutions," said Roei Ganzarski, CEO of magniX. "The magniX team is inspired by the synergies between our mission and that of Universal Hydrogen. Together, we will bring scalable, proven technology to the next level of electric aviation."

Universal Hydrogen is a fuel logistics company making hydrogen-powered commercial flight a near-term reality. Founded in 2020 by long-time aviation industry experts Paul Eremenko, Jason Chua, Jon Gordon and J-P Clarke, Universal Hydrogen's goal is to solve aviation's carbon emissions crisis by making hydrogen the universal propellant for a carbon-free aviation industry. Leveraging the existing freight network for hydrogen distribution with its unique storage and transport methods, Universal Hydrogen solves the primary obstacle to hydrogen for aviation: the lack of cost-effective infrastructure for hydrogen transport and distribution. To accelerate market adoption, Universal Hydrogen is also retrofitting existing regional airplanes with a hydrogen-electric powertrain.