HyLight Secures €13 Million Funding to Expand Autonomous Airship Inspections Across Europe’s Critical Infrastructure

The Rise of HyLight: Revolutionizing Aerial Inspection with Autonomous Hydrogen-Powered Airships

HyLight, a pioneering French startup specializing in aerial inspection of critical infrastructure using autonomous hydrogen-powered airships, has recently secured a substantial €13 million investment from Rubio Impact Ventures, DRW, and Teampact Ventures, along with existing backers Y Combinator and Ring Capital.

Established in 2022, HyLight has already achieved a remarkable milestone that sets it apart from other industrial startups. The company has successfully designed, built, industrialized, and operated its own fleet of aircraft in France. Additionally, HyLight has developed cutting-edge software and artificial intelligence to transform the collected data into actionable insights. Over the course of four years, HyLighters have conducted inspections covering thousands of kilometers in France, expanded operations to several European countries, and started replacing traditional helicopter missions for major infrastructure operators.

The recent funding injection will enable HyLight to scale its operations further. The company plans to focus on industrializing its aircraft fleet, enhancing its automated data analysis capabilities, and deploying a new data infrastructure across Europe to enhance monitoring and protection of critical networks and territories.

Martin Bocken, co-founder and CEO of HyLight, expressed his excitement about the funding, stating, “Most power lines are still inspected by helicopter, just as they were fifty years ago. Our HyLighters already do the same job, with greater precision and less risk. This funding takes us from four aircraft to a fleet.”

With the increasing demand for inspection of power lines, gas pipelines, and railways due to factors like climate change, regulatory requirements, and safety concerns, there is a pressing need for innovative solutions. Despite the dominance of helicopters in inspection operations, they come with high costs, emissions of up to one metric ton of CO₂e per flight hour, noise pollution, and limited availability. Existing alternatives such as drones, satellites, and ground sensors have limitations that HyLight aims to address comprehensively.

HyLight has achieved a significant breakthrough by operationalizing its replacement strategy. Its aircraft are currently engaged in missions for prominent entities like Enedis, NaTran, Téréga, VINCI, and SNCF Réseau, focusing on monitoring network integrity, defect detection, and methane leak identification.

The HyLighter, measuring 12 meters in length, combines the endurance of a long-range aircraft with the precision of an inspection platform. Powered by hydrogen, it operates with zero direct emissions and minimal noise levels for up to ten hours, covering a target range of 350 kilometers. Equipped with advanced sensors including LiDAR, cameras, and methane detectors, the HyLighter delivers high-resolution imaging at 1 mm/pixel at an altitude of 25 meters, with a LiDAR density exceeding 1,000 points per square meter.

Authorized by the French civil aviation authority (DGAC) and the EASA, the HyLighter conducts flights beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) over critical infrastructure, spanning rural, suburban, and urban environments. Its successful operations over iconic locations like the Palace of Versailles and the Champs-Élysées demonstrate its capability to function in sensitive, densely populated areas.

Beyond its primary focus on aerial inspection, HyLight leverages flight data to develop decision-making tools that automatically identify and geolocate over 50 types of defects and vegetation-related risks across power grids. This strategic approach replaces numerous raw images with precise, actionable information for maintenance teams, ultimately contributing to enhanced infrastructure maintenance practices.

As HyLight’s flights become more frequent, the data collected will facilitate the creation of a continuously enriched digital twin of the infrastructure and territories covered, paving the way for diverse applications in sectors such as insurance, agriculture, and public land management.

HyLight’s ongoing industrialization efforts include the operation of a new production facility and internalization of strategic component manufacturing. The company aims to have up to 15 HyLighters in simultaneous operation by 2027, a significant increase from the current fleet of four aircraft. The fresh funding will support the recruitment of 50 employees across various departments, including engineering, AI, data analysis, operations, regulatory affairs, and business development.

Helmer Schukken, managing partner at Rubio Impact Ventures, highlighted the transformative potential of HyLight’s technology in enhancing the safety of critical infrastructure. He emphasized the inefficiencies of traditional helicopter inspections and praised HyLight for offering a clean, scalable alternative that ensures reliable operations, even in densely populated areas. The cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach of HyLight has the potential to revolutionize infrastructure maintenance practices, leading to early detection of faults and improved dependability of essential networks.