Hybrid power allows drones to fly farther

From Internet giants Amazon and Google to the express delivery industry's DHL and SF, all are developing drones, but in addition to the existing laws and regulations, speed, load and battery life may be their common bottlenecks.

At present, almost all four-rotor drones on the market are flying on batteries, and can only fly for about 40 minutes per charge. SF's unmanned aerial vehicles can only fly for 31 minutes without load, and can only fly for 16 minutes at a load of 1 kg, which greatly limits the scope and time of delivery.

FlyDragon has developed a 4-rotor hybrid drone. With only 1 gallon of gasoline, it can fly for one and a half hours at a distance of about 160 kilometers, with a maximum load of 18 pounds. It is several times more than the most popular four-rotor UAV currently on the market.

This hybrid drone model is FD-416, with a diameter of 1.5 meters and a maximum take-off weight of 40 kg. It can fly under automatic, semi-automatic, or manual operation. The aircraft is equipped with a flight recorder, and the standard configuration can be remotely controlled within 2 miles. It can be used for plant protection aircraft, aerial photography, mapping, monitoring, etc.

It uses a relatively simple hybrid engine: equipped with a 6000-watt hybrid engine, powered by a 16,000 mAh lithium-polymer battery and a 1-gallon fuel tank. There is no mechanical connection between the gasoline engine and the rotor, but the gasoline generator charges the battery and the battery then starts the electric engine. Power can come from batteries, gasoline generators, or both, and is smaller and more efficient than a single gasoline engine.