Intelligent Energy, the Loughborough-based fuel-cell developer, has signed a deal with US company PINC
to supply its air-cooled fuel-cell systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

This marks the company’s first sale of fuel-cell systems for drones, as the company moves forward with the commercialisation of its technology.

Intelligent Energy’s fuel-cell systems for UAVs offer longer flight times, fast-refuel capabilities and flexibility for varying payloads, addressing some of the biggest challenges for users.

This is particularly evident in the commercial sector, where UAVs are increasingly being used for a number of applications including inspections, search and rescue, film and photography.

PINC will operate the fuel-cell-powered UAVs alongside battery operated UAVs as part of its ‘inventory robotics offering’, which provides real-time inventory tracking by air.

Its unmanned aircraft system, PINC Air, allows companies to apply drone technology (coupled with advanced radio-frequency identification and optical sensor capabilities) to significantly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of inventory checks.

Matt Yearling, PINC’s CEO, said: “Joining forces with an industry leader like Intelligent Energy will enable our inventory robotics solutions to perform more effectively and efficiently, thereby transforming the way organisations do inventory checks inside and outside manufacturing plants and warehouses”.