Chinese hydrogen-powered drone maker HiTS eyes Hong Kong for research, overseas sales
Company also aiming for a Hong Kong listing in one to two years, chief financial officer says
HiTS (Shanghai) Hydrogen Power Technology, which aims to be the BYD of commercial drones powered by hydrogen fuel cells, plans to set up research and assembly operations in Hong Kong to serve international markets, according to its chief financial officer.
Just as the world’s leading electric-vehicle maker BYD also makes EV batteries, HiTS has expertise in both hydrogen fuel cells and drones that use those power sources, CFO Ben Lin said on Monday.
The company called on the Hong Kong government to use policy initiatives to jump-start the city’s “low-altitude economy” – activities in airspace below 1,000 metres.
Lin said on the sidelines of BNP Paribas’ global electric vehicle and mobility conference in Hong Kong,
We hope the Hong Kong government can encourage departments that provide public services to embrace the fuel-cell drone technology,
“We have a long-term business development plan, which includes an overseas sales headquarters and a research and development centre in Hong Kong. We also hope to go public on Hong Kong’s bourse in one to two years.”
In November, the government formed a working group to develop a low-altitude economy by designating venues for pilot projects, drawing up regulations and planning required infrastructure.
The group picked an initial batch of 38 pilot projects, including rescue operations, goods distribution, safety inspections and surveillance. Lin said HiTS planned to submit proposals for inclusion in the next batch.
Mainland China led the world on policymaking to support rapid development of the drone industry, Lin said, with many local governments adopting heavy-duty drones for firefighting, police work and coastal surveillance.
To expand its market presence, HiTS recently acquired a Nanjing-based provider of marketing and consulting services on drone applications for firefighting, emergency response and public security, including automatic detection of drivers using mobile phones in motion.
A unit of privately owned Donglan Group, HiTS was established in 2022 to commercialise fuel-cell know-how gained over two decades by its chief scientist, Tian Binglun, a former Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics researcher. Donglan invests in technology companies that make advanced solar panels, energy storage systems, hydrogen and advanced industrial materials.
HiTS’ facilities in Anhui and Shandong provinces together can make 100,000 fuel-cell systems a year, with a combined capacity of 40 megawatts. The company has sought to double that this year, Lin said.
Later this month, the company aimed to raise 300 million yuan (US$42 million) from private investors to fund the expansion, plus a production line capable of assembling 3,000 drones a year, he added.
The company was keen to establish a drone assembly line in Hong Kong, Lin said, as the city is an international trading and logistics hub. HiTS would also set up an automated production line for fuel-cell systems if dust-free, semiconductor-grade manufacturing facilities were available, he added.
The government’s Microelectronics Centre in the Yuen Long InnoPark is set to be inaugurated later this year, initially with two semiconductor-grade production lines. Land near the centre has been identified for future expansion.
HiTS claims to be the world’s largest maker of commercial drones powered by air-cooled hydrogen fuel cells. It had an order backlog worth around 1 billion yuan, half from overseas customers, Lin said.
Fuel cells produce electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen, with only water as a by-product. They are pollution and emission free as long as the hydrogen fuel is produced using clean energy rather than fossil fuels.
Lin said, adding that the company is developing fuel cells for light vehicles, electric scooters, humanoid robots and power tools,
We became the world’s first company to commercially deploy fuel-cell systems in drones because we succeeded in lowering the components’ weight,
The breakthrough allowed the company to develop drones that can carry up to 200kg and operate for three hours even at temperatures of minus 40 degrees Celsius. Its most powerful product can generate 1,200 watts of power per kilogram of body weight – four to eight times that of a lithium battery-powered drone.
The company’s products range in price from 300,000 yuan to more than 1 million yuan.
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Chinese hydrogen-powered drone maker HiTS eyes Hong Kong for research, overseas sales, source
