How easyh2power is commercializing hydrogen fuel-cell powertrains for aviation

easyh2power is building an aviation hydrogen-power business around two very different product timelines. Its air-cooled fuel-cell systems are designed for relatively near-term use in drones, where the company can accumulate flight data and pursue commercial deployments. Its liquid-cooled systems are the longer-term bet: higher-power propulsion packages intended for eVTOLs and larger aircraft, where engineering validation and airworthiness work take longer. 12

The company, formally Qingyan Easy Hydrogen Power Technology (Nanjing), says its technology and core team are rooted in Tsinghua University’s fuel-cell ecosystem. Founder and CEO Zhang Kexun is a Tsinghua-trained researcher in fuel-cell power systems. 1417

The commercial logic: deploy in drones, develop for larger aircraft

The Angel+ financing—reported as tens of millions of yuan—was led by Hongniao Qihang Fund and Guizhou Science & Innovation Angel Fund, with several follow-on investors. The stated use of proceeds is notably divided between aviation-grade liquid-cooled fuel-cell development and validation, and commercialization of air-cooled systems across multiple applications. 1517

That allocation reflects the company’s product sequencing:

• Air-cooled fuel cells are the nearer-term commercial route, aimed at low-power UAV and low-altitude applications where iteration and deployment cycles can be faster. 12
• Liquid-cooled fuel cells are the strategic route to higher-power aviation propulsion, but require more demanding thermal management, lightweight design, environmental performance, integration work, and airworthiness-oriented engineering. 1217

In effect, easyh2power is attempting to generate application experience in drones while building the systems capability needed to become a broader aircraft-propulsion supplier—from fuel-cell stack and supporting hardware through controls, validation, and aircraft integration. The company lists liquid-cooled systems, air-cooled systems, and hydrogen long-endurance drones among its product lines. 314

Liquid-cooled vs. air-cooled: two products for two markets

	Liquid-cooled fuel-cell systems	Air-cooled fuel-cell systems
Primary role	Long-term, high-power aviation platform	Nearer-term commercial and flight-validation platform
Reported power range	Developed from 30 kW to roughly 90–110 kW; planned expansion to 300 kW-class products	Below 10 kW; reported individual modules cover 1–5 kW 12
Target aircraft	Higher-power eVTOLs and larger aircraft	Long-endurance drones and other low-altitude UAV applications
Design priority	Power, weight, thermal control, reliability, and operation in demanding environments	Faster product iteration, modularity, and deployment in lower-power aircraft
Development stage	Moving from core technology development toward productization and airworthiness-oriented engineering	Reportedly completed three iterations in under a year and entered application expansion 12

For its liquid-cooled system, the company reports thin titanium bipolar plates, lightweight auxiliary components, and adaptive coordinated controls. It says the system can operate from -40°C to 55°C, at altitudes from 0 to 6,000 meters, with system gravimetric power density above 1.2 kW/kg. These are company-reported development specifications rather than independently certified aircraft-performance figures. 16

The air-cooled line accepts lower power in exchange for a simpler route to field use. It is designed for the sub-10-kW UAV segment, where the company says products can be iterated and deployed more quickly. 12

Why hydrogen is central to the company’s pitch

Zhang has argued that hydrogen fuel-cell aircraft can provide roughly three to four times the endurance of lithium-battery solutions, along with faster refueling and better low-temperature performance. Those characteristics could be particularly relevant to high-utilization aircraft, including future eVTOL operations, where battery recharge time and range are key constraints. 217

He has also said hydrogen fuel could eventually become cheaper than aviation kerosene in China. That is a forecast, not a demonstrated present-day operating-cost result. The supplied reporting does not establish a timetable for cost parity or account for all delivered-hydrogen, storage, airport-infrastructure, and operational costs. 17

What has been validated so far

The clearest reported operating evidence is on the drone side. Chengfei high-altitude UAVs using easyh2power’s systems reportedly achieved continuous flights of 30 hours in 2025 and 24 hours in 2026. Reporting also says a hydrogen-powered connected-wing vertical-takeoff-and-landing UAV equipped with a 2 kW closed-cathode air-cooled fuel-cell system completed a first flight. 16

On the liquid-cooled side, easyh2power is reported to be a cooperating supplier to Comac in hydrogen-power systems and to have established collaborations with multiple eVTOL airframe manufacturers. These relationships indicate development and supply engagement; they should not be read as evidence that a Comac production aircraft or an eVTOL has been certified and commercially deployed with easyh2power’s system. 117

The liquid-cooled route will take longer

The liquid-cooled product has reportedly progressed from a 30 kW starting point to 90–110 kW, with a future 300 kW-class target. The next phase is described as airworthiness-oriented engineering with aircraft manufacturers. 2817

That makes the difference in revenue timing straightforward. Air-cooled drone products can be tested, iterated, and introduced into defined operational scenarios sooner. High-power liquid-cooled systems must still pass through aircraft integration, environmental and reliability validation, and the applicable airworthiness process before any scaled aviation deployment. 1217

What to watch next

easyh2power’s strategy will be tested less by a single power-density claim than by whether it can connect the two tracks:

1. Convert drone flights into repeatable commercial deployments for air-cooled systems.
2. Demonstrate durable, lightweight liquid-cooled performance at higher power levels.
3. Advance aircraft-maker collaborations into identifiable integration and airworthiness milestones.
4. Prove the operating economics of hydrogen logistics, not only the technical benefits of fuel cells.

For now, the company has a coherent sequencing strategy: use lower-power drones to create near-term application momentum, while investing in a higher-power liquid-cooled platform for future eVTOL and larger-aircraft opportunities. Its reported milestones show progress, but the evidence does not yet demonstrate certified, high-volume hydrogen-electric aviation operations. 1217