Hydrogen
Racecars and H2 Races
Hydrogen race cars need to be in races in order to showcase to
the world the upcoming hydrogen highways and hydrogen raceways
of the future. New technology is most often showcased by the most
dramatic means possible and running hydrogen race cars on hydrogen
raceways is no different.
Hydrogen Racecars
BMW H2R
The single seat BMW
H2R has most recently set a land-speed record for H2
car of 185 mph plus eight other speed records as well. Tossing fuel
cell technology out the door, BMW instead reworked their 6.0 litre
V12 combustion engine, adapted for hydrogen to meet the speedway
requirements. The H2R accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in just 6 seconds.
The speed records were set at the Miramas Proving Grounds in France.
Buckeye Bullet
2
The Ohio State University (OSU) Buckeye Bullet 2 is a hydrogen-powered
racecar that will be attempting to break the land speed record for
fuel cell vehicles. The Buckeye Bullet 1 holds the land speed record
for electric vehicles at 315 mph.
The Buckeye Bullet 2 uses a 700 horsepower electric motor coupled
with two Ballard fuel cells to provide the propulsion for this vehicle.
The OSU College of Engineering designed the Buckeye Bullet 2 using
CAD software to give the streamliner its unique aerodynamic features.
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The Ford Hydrogen Fusion 999 will also
compete at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah to set the land
speed record for production model fuel cell vehicles.
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The Ford Hydrogen Fusion 999 is charged with both hydrogen and
helox gases and is built for speed, stripping out any hybrid components
such as regenerative braking that could slow the vehicle down from
setting its record.
The Fusion 999 will be equipped with a 350 kw stack from Ballard
and will try to break the 200 mph barrier when it makes its seven
mile run. Designers from Ford, Roush and the engineering department
at Ohio State University have all had a hand at helping on the Hydrogen
999 racecar.
Toyota
MTRC |
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The Toyota Motor Triathlon Race Car (MTRC), a fuel cell concept
car, made it debut at the 2004 New York International Auto Show.
Toyota's European design studio ED2 both designed and built the
MTRC concept car. The MTRC concept car is also being showcased
in Sony Playstation's Gran Turismo 4 home video game. The 'triathlon'
part of the name comes from Toyota's intent to race the car on
three venues: a narrow city street circuit, high-grip racetrack
and an off-road track. The H2 vehicle is a 4-wheel drive machine
with each wheel powered by a hydrogen fuel cell stack.
Morgan LIFEcar
Morgan Motor Company, a UK automobile manufacturer is building
a hydrogen race car (Morgan LIFEcar)
modeled after its classic 150 mph Aero 8, now being sold in the
U. S. A company called QinetiQ is developing the fuel cell for the
LIFEcar. For its storage solution, Morgan reportedly will be using
ultra-capacitors.
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Jack
Dex, 13-years-old, driving a BOC Ech2o, tries to break the
10,000 mile per gallon fuel efficiency record.
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BOC
Ech2o |
Jack Dex, 13-years-old of Southam College, Warwickshire, UK will
be driving a BOC Ech2o car and attempt to break the world record
for fuel efficiency (15,212 miles per gallon). The current world
record as noted by Guinness Books was set by the ETH
Zurich PAC-Car II on June 26, 2005 in Ladoux, France.
Hydrogen
Raceways
Hydrogen race cars would be never come to be if there were no
hydrogen car races and hydrogen car raceways to race them upon.
Since H2 cars are so new, though, the only competitive H2 racing
is being done on a smaller scale through a couple of forward-thinking
school programs.
The Hydrogen Sprint is open to all
Florida students grades 9 - 12. The 2005 Hydrogen Sprint was
held May 7 at the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa, Florida.
According to the Hydrogen Sprint site, "Vehicles are designed
and constructed around a small PEM fuel cell with open design
and material parameters. Hydrogen for the fuel is produced by
electrolysis powered by photovoltaics. Vehicles are judged on
technical merit, innovation and speed on a 7 meter track; teams
are also judged on their presentations."
The 2005 Texas Solar & Hydrogen Cell
Race Car Event took place on May 14, 2005 at the Dub
Farris Athletic Complex in San Antonio, Texas. The event was
open to all Texas grade school and middle school students with
a hydrogen and / or solar powered car. It's not the Pinewood
Derby anymore.
Whether you're into hydrogen race cars, races or raceways, the
future is most promising for all sorts of H2 products and events.
A few years from now, fossil fuel cars will be old school and
H2 cars will be the "Next Big Thing" in racing. Can
you say, "NASCAR H2 Oh!"?
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