NOVAdev plans to establish the facility on a 200 to 400-acre site in California’s Antelope Valley. The area already hosts principal test facilities for Lockheed, Northrop, Honda, Hyundai, Boeing and NASA, among others.
The facility will support engineering development and certification testing of hydrogen storage, fuel, and power systems for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and Department of Transportation (DOT) approvals.
The site plan encompasses five discreet cells, each optimized for a specific aspect of development and certification testing. Test cells will accommodate both large and small hydrogen systems, including structures up to 20,000 pounds and 30 feet long. An operations center will house test monitoring stations, workshop facilities, offices, and a hydrogen training center for staff and clients.
Planned test cells will perform high- and low-cycle fatigue testing, cryogenic and high-pressure system testing, operational performance testing at ambient and elevated temperatures (including solar radiation effects), and crash testing. The facility will also support ‘iron bird’ performance testing of fuel cell, turboelectric and hybrid power systems – including integration with hydrogen storage and fuel delivery systems.
The company envisions a full-time initial workforce of 10 to 15 employees. Site development is planned to begin in the first quarter of 2025.
“This facility represents a significant resource for the hydrogen industry,” said Michael Kramer, founder and CEO of NOVAdev. “While hydrogen is a key contributor to sustainable transportation, capabilities for testing hydrogen systems at scale are almost non-existent and prohibitively expensive. Our hydrogen-focused facility will uniquely and cost-effectively support testing needs from a global audience working hydrogen storage and power systems development.”
