World’s first hydrogen racecar competes well with petrol powered racecars

(June 17, 2012) Delft racing cars perform well at Silverstone

With a difference in score of just two points, the TU Delft students today secured second place in the Formula Student at Silverstone. With their four-wheel-drive electric racing car, the DUT Racing team scored 848 points, only two less than the petrol-driven racing car from Swedish team TU Chalmers. The ultra-light Delft vehicle was the best electric racing car and also received the award for the best design. The hydrogen racing car from Forze, also TU Delft students, performed well too. They were the first to successfully compete in the race with a fuel cell.

Electric

The DUT Racing team has been participating in the competition for twelve years and has gained an international reputation with its Delft concept: ultra-light racing cars. Last year, the team built an electric racing car for the first time and it proved to be a resounding success from the outset. With DUT11, the students won last year's race at Silverstone as well as the race at Hockenheim in the electric class. This year, the electric and combustion engines are competing in the same class for the first time.  “Our aim is to also win in the joint class this year. At Silverstone, that proved impossible because we had a lot of problems with the battery pack, but we remain optimistic. We know that this vehicle can perform much better at Hockenheim in early August, although we still have a lot of work to do”, explains team leader Max Wink. Hockenheim is considered to be the unofficial world championship, where all the best teams from across the world compete.

Hydrogen

The second Delft team at Silverstone also performed well: their racing car was the first ever to compete in the worldwide Formula Student race with propulsion based on a hydrogen fuel cell. In the fuel cell, hydrogen and oxygen are converted into pure water and electricity. The team achieved a worthy 29th position in the sprint section, leaving dozens of petrol-fuelled vehicles behind them.

Last year was the first year that the team attempted to compete on hydrogen, but they failed to achieve their aim. This year, they were successful in their mission.

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