The concept of a hydrogen-powered go-kart race sounds very exciting, and that’s exactly what the Dutch based company Formula Zero wants to do. The whole idea behind this is to set up a new fuel cell race car category to help generate public enthusiasm, and through this method they are also trying to get young engineers interested in hydrogen cars. By far this is the only competition in the world dedicated to fuel cell vehicles and high-speed racing.
Hydrogen is run through a fuel cell, turned into electricity, and a bank of ultra-capacitors is used to buffer electricity between the fuel cell and the motor. The motor is used for regenerative breaking, which can put electricity back into the ultra-capacitors. Element One paired their fuel cell with ultra-capacitors. But with all this they also had to make their cart lighter, and hence built a 100 percent non-tubular carbon fiber frame. This indeed was a risk worth taking, and it ultimately resulted in the victory of Lawrence Tech’s Element One team in the first-ever Formula Zero design competition. This certainly is an indication of far we have progressed and how each and every one of us shows deep concern toward the environment.
Via PopSci
