Conceptual Design, Fabrication, and Performance Evaluation of Electric and Fuel Cell Hybrid Mini UAV.

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Title: Conceptual Design, Fabrication, and Performance Evaluation of Electric and Fuel Cell Hybrid Mini UAV.
Authors: Sağlam, Ihsan1 (AUTHOR), Sude İşleyen, Zeynep1 (AUTHOR), Karaoğlan, Mustafa Umut1,2 (AUTHOR) mustafa.karaoglan@deu.edu.tr, Yavuz, Şahin1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Fuel Cells. Feb2026, Vol. 26 Issue 1, p1-15. 15p.
Subject Terms: *Hybrid power systems, *Fuel cells, *Energy consumption, Electrical load, Drone aircraft
Reviews & Products: Simulink (Computer software)
Abstract: The increasing demand for longer endurance and environmentally friendly propulsion systems has accelerated research on hybrid energy solutions for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In this study, an electric fixed‐wing mini UAV concept has been designed, fabricated, and tested to assess its potential for enhanced flight performance and endurance. Additionally, detailed model of the electric and fuel cell powertrains is developed in the MATLAB/Simulink environment to simulate the power flow, energy management, and flight dynamics for the aim of enhancing endurance and energy efficiency. The developed hybrid architecture successfully integrates a 100 W fuel cell with a 4S1P type 10,000 mAh Li‐Po battery to provide superiority over all‐electric systems. Flight tests are performed for the evaluation of the performance of the electric system about power distribution, efficiency, and endurance. According to the simulation results, the fuel cell hybrid configuration provided approximately 40% improvement in flight endurance compared to the purely electric configuration. The results indicate that the proposed conceptual design offers a promising approach for extending the operational range and energy efficiency of small‐scale UAV systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Fuel Cells is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Conceptual Design, Fabrication, and Performance Evaluation of Electric and Fuel Cell Hybrid Mini UAV.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Fuel+Cells%22">Fuel Cells</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 26 Issue 1, p1-15. 15p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hybrid+power+systems%22">Hybrid power systems</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fuel+cells%22">Fuel cells</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Energy+consumption%22">Energy consumption</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electrical+load%22">Electrical load</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Drone+aircraft%22">Drone aircraft</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: The increasing demand for longer endurance and environmentally friendly propulsion systems has accelerated research on hybrid energy solutions for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In this study, an electric fixed‐wing mini UAV concept has been designed, fabricated, and tested to assess its potential for enhanced flight performance and endurance. Additionally, detailed model of the electric and fuel cell powertrains is developed in the MATLAB/Simulink environment to simulate the power flow, energy management, and flight dynamics for the aim of enhancing endurance and energy efficiency. The developed hybrid architecture successfully integrates a 100 W fuel cell with a 4S1P type 10,000 mAh Li‐Po battery to provide superiority over all‐electric systems. Flight tests are performed for the evaluation of the performance of the electric system about power distribution, efficiency, and endurance. According to the simulation results, the fuel cell hybrid configuration provided approximately 40% improvement in flight endurance compared to the purely electric configuration. The results indicate that the proposed conceptual design offers a promising approach for extending the operational range and energy efficiency of small‐scale UAV systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Fuel Cells is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1002/fuce.70050
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 15
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      – SubjectFull: Hybrid power systems
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fuel cells
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Energy consumption
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Electrical load
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Drone aircraft
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Simulink (Computer software)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Conceptual Design, Fabrication, and Performance Evaluation of Electric and Fuel Cell Hybrid Mini UAV.
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            NameFull: Sağlam, Ihsan
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            NameFull: Sude İşleyen, Zeynep
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            NameFull: Karaoğlan, Mustafa Umut
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            NameFull: Yavuz, Şahin
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            – D: 01
              M: 02
              Text: Feb2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 26
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