A hydrogen-powered drone is used to deliver drugs to an elderly in urgent need of medication in Deqing county, Huzhou on March 12. [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

A hydrogen-powered drone delivered drugs to an elderly in urgent need of medication in Deqing county, Huzhou on March 12.

This is the first time a hydrogen-powered UAV has been used for long-distance emergency drug delivery in China.

The elderly woman surnamed Huang was left stranded in Qianyuan town in Deqing after the town was locked down due to the emergence of a locally transmitted COVID-19 case.

When the authorities learned that she was in urgent need of insulin and blood pressure medication, the required drugs were delivered to Huang via a drone operated by Zhejiang Qinghang Technology Co Ltd.

The drone dropped the supplies accurately at a marked place after a 15-minute flight spanning 10 kilometers.

Fueled by hydrogen, the drone has a maximum flight range of 100 kilometers and a maximum load capacity of 5 kilograms.

Located in Moganshan National High-tech Zone, Zhejiang Qinghang Technology Co Ltd has sold its products, including hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen-powered aircrafts, to countries and regions including Japan, Mexico and Germany.