Xie Hydrogen Releases World's First Mass-Produced 20kW Air-Cooled Hydrogen Fuel Cell Stack, Ushering in the Era of Heavy-Duty Drones

Xiehydrogen New Energy announced the official launch of the world's first mass-produced 20kW single-stack air-cooled hydrogen fuel cell. With a weight of 19kg and a compact size of 384×127×507mm, it sets a new benchmark for power density in air-cooled stacks. This product, which breaks through industry bottlenecks, optimizes the closed cathode membrane electrode, increasing the single-stack power by 40% compared to traditional air-cooled solutions and achieving industry-leading energy conversion efficiency. It also overcomes the heat dissipation challenge under high power, enabling stable operation across a wide temperature range from -20℃ to 50℃.

As the only enterprise in China to master the full-chain technology of "carbon paper - membrane electrode - stack - system," Xiehydrogen's launch not only fills the global mass-production gap for high-power air-cooled stacks but also directly empowers its new-generation hydrogen-powered drone, the H400. It is revealed that this 400kg-class drone, with a payload capacity of 200kg and a 3-hour driving range, has entered the final testing stage. In the future, it can cover long-endurance scenarios such as logistics transportation and emergency firefighting, offering a 50% increase in payload capacity and a 30% reduction in costs compared to lithium battery solutions.

"The core of air-cooled technology lies in the balance between lightweight and high reliability," introduced the technical leader of Xiehydrogen. The team has ensured stable operation of the stack in harsh environments such as high-frequency vibrations in drones and low air pressure at high altitudes through the reconstruction of fluid mechanics in the air supply module and 100,000 hours of durability testing. Currently, the company's annual production capacity has reached 100,000 units, and the supporting hydrogen storage and production systems have also achieved localisation, laying the foundation for large-scale applications in scenarios such as sanitation and security.

The industry believes that the implementation of this 20kW stack marks the transition of hydrogen energy from low-power demonstrations to medium-power commercial applications. With the global push for carbon neutrality, Xiehydrogen's full-chain technology layout is providing "China's solutions" for distributed energy, special equipment, and other fields. In the drone sector, its H400 model is expected to be delivered within the year, with each flight reducing carbon emissions by over 500kg. In the sanitation sector, the same stack has entered modification testing, offering a 2-fold increase in driving range compared to traditional solutions.