Asia's first hybrid-powered UAV makes 1st flight

The green-powered UAV, which uses a cost- and fuel-efficient hybrid of a fuel cell and lithium battery, completed its maiden flight Thursday in Pingtung County's Ligang Township, said Lewis W.H. Lai, an aerospace engineering professor at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Tainan City, also in southern Taiwan.

The UAV, dubbed the Gray-faced Buzzard, flew for 15 minutes at between 80-100 kph at an altitude of less than 300 meters, according to Lai, manager of the drone development project.

“The Gray-faced Buzzard produces no carbon dioxide emissions and is very quiet, “ Lai said at a press conference held at NCKU.

“The hybrid battery is an amelioration of a fuel cell, which on its own is too costly, and a lithium battery, which on its own has too short a durability,” he added.

It cost about NT$500,000 (US$15,822) to build the UAV, which weighs 22 kg, is nearly 2 meters long and produces 1 kilowatt of power, or approximately 1.34 horsepower, Lai said.

“For a similar UAV, the battery component alone would cost NT$1 million if a fuel cell alone were to be used,” he added.

The next target of Lai and his team is to enlarge the drone in the hope that it can stay in the air for as long as three hours at a time.

UAVs are used by the military to collect intelligence and for rescue missions in areas that manned craft or men on the ground cannot reach, according to Lai.

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