The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted aerospace and alternative energy firm H2 Clipper, Inc. a patent for an airship designed to transport hydrogen seven to 10 times faster than traditional freight.
The dirigible design (U.S. Patent 11,066,145) uses 100% green hydrogen as a lifting gas and as a fuel and is 70% cheaper than air freight, according to H2 Clipper. The company, which now has seven issued patents, maintains the design boasts an improved structural and delivery system. It explained the “lighter-than-air” airship includes the following enhancements compared to previous airship designs and operating modes:
- Exoskeleton structure improvements
- Use of artificial intelligence in connection with airship controls
- Improved means for docking in high-wind conditions
- Aerial drone integration for picking up, transporting, and delivering package goods and other payloads.
“From the beginning, our work creating a 21-century version of the hydrogen dirigible was motivated by the believe that hydrogen produced from renewable sources is the only conceivable way to replace fossil fuels for transportation and long-term energy storage, and that reliably and inexpensively transporting pure hydrogen to transporting freight seven to 10 times faster than ship, truck, or rail, and at a 70% savings over traditional air transport,” remarked Rinaldo S. Brutoco, founder and CEO of H2 Clipper.
H2 Clipper is building a prototype version of the dirigible, which it expects to fly in 2024. Initial full-sized airships could take to the skies in 2024, the company noted.
“Given the recent accelerating global demand for hydrogen, we feel H2 Clipper is ideally positioned to build on the work we have done over the last decade to play a major role in enabling the coming clean energy economy,” said Brutoco.
Boston-based intellectual property attorney John C. Serio at Withers Worldwide represented H2 Clipper in securing U.S. Patent 11,066,145, “Method and Apparatus for Lighter-Than-Air Airship with Improved Structure and Delivery Systems.”
