This Methanol-Powered Battery Allows A Drone To Fly For 12 Hours Straight

It is reported that Chinese scientists have invented a battery that uses methanol. With this battery, a drone could fly a flight of 12 hours straight. To put it in context, the DJI Mavic Air can flight for 21 minutes as its maximum limit.

The FY-36 unmanned aerial vehicle was developed to deploy this methanol battery. According to the general manager of Feye UAV Technology, an unmanned aerial vehicle-maker from Tianjin, Zhang Wenyu, it took them over two years to make a prototype of the vehicle. The weight of the drone is 15 kilograms and it can reach 90kmph as its top speed.

From the time it took to make a prototype, you might have guessed that the project had undergone a long process of research and development. The drone had its first flight in November. Zhang said that they had faced a lot of issues that they had to solve on the ground.

In the 1960s, early studies in fuel cells began through a program of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. The aim of the program was to build an orbital spacecraft. However, in the 1970s, the research was put on hold because of complexity and high costs.

It is Feye UAV Technology’s plan to commercially launch the device in 2020 after perfecting its performance. There’s no detailed information regarding the price but Zhang hints that bulk orders would get a competitive price.

It definitely sounds promising to use methanol to power devices. Companies that deliver packages using drones could boost their efficiency with this technology. However, we’ll have to wait until the drone is commercially launched to witness its efficiency. In India, flying a drone is used to be prohibited but the rules have been changed starting from December 2018. You can now start investing in these devices to take breathtaking shots and shoot awesome videos. Here’s drone camera price in India.

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