Cellegant raises Rs 2.61 Cr from GVFL and others for hydrogen fuel cell drone powertrains

Cellegant Energy Systems, founded by IIT Gandhinagar professor Dr Atul Bhargav, has raised Rs 2.61 crore from investors including GVFL Prarambh Fund Trust, CoCreate Aarambh and IIEC, the IIT Gandhinagar incubator, YourStory, Entrepreneur India and BW Autoworld reported around November 3 and 4, 2026. The outlets said the money will fund indigenous hybrid hydrogen fuel cell electric drivetrain systems for drones and other unmanned vehicles, plus intellectual property protection and team building.

Battery limits are the problem Cellegant is trying to solve. BW Autoworld and Entrepreneur India said the company combines hybrid power management, passive hydrogen recirculation and solid state chemical hydrogen storage so drones can stay airborne longer than conventional battery packs. Cellegant's immediate priority is to demonstrate a 35 kg hydrogen powered drone. Over the next six to twelve months it aims to move that programme from technology readiness level three to six, taking it closer to tests in a relevant operating environment.

Applications listed in the coverage remain prospective rather than confirmed commercial deployments. BW Autoworld named defence and paramilitary work, agricultural drones, surveillance, emergency response and aerial cargo, and also said the same stack could serve marine and underwater vehicles, autonomous robots, quadruped robots and stationary power. Entrepreneur India noted GVFL's interest in indigenous engineering that reduces reliance on imported power technologies. The raise is a research to prototype bet, not a claim of fleet scale sales.