Students from the Delft
University of Technology in
Holland have built the
world’s first Hydrogen
powered LMP3 car, which
will be raced in ELMS series
as well as Le Mans in mid-June
in 2016.
“We want to show the world that this technology is cool and that it’s possible to race with it.”
“At some point the team has said that a Le Mans 24 Hours participation would be a dream because the technology would be ideal for that,” said Everaert.
Forze Delft, in short, can be called a pioneer. They have been developing zero emission race cars running on hydrogen
since year 2007. The Forze
VII that has been presented on Thursday, is the seventh generation and second full-size circuit racer.
The new car is based on a ADESS-03 LMP3 chassis (above) and the energy to propel the vehicle will be generated by a 100 kW fuel cell, powered by hydrogen mounted in the rear sub-frame. The electric motors can generate a maximum output of 200 kW. The Forze VII can reach a top speed of about 210 km/h and hits 100 km/h from standstill in less than four seconds, which is much quicker than both the Ginetta and Ligier LMP3 cars.
The ADESS chassis isn't as complex as what Ginetta and Ligier have made, which has made it a great foundation for the team to work on. You can note how simple the bulkhead is in the above image.
The students will take part in the sport division of the Dutch Supercar Challenge during the Gamma Racing Day event at TT Circuit Assen in August. “It’s our target to win in this division and if we do, we will be the first team that can compete against gasoline powered cars with a fully hydrogen fuel cell race car,” Forze Delft team manager Rick Everaert told the media.
Team Delft are really pushing the boundaries of technology in Motorsport. They have won the last two Formula Student events in flying colours too. They have been able to engineer a unique hub motor system as well durable energy recovery system. The team claim thay have learned a lot from this, and belive their new Hydrogen car is the "next step" for the team.
Delft University Build Hydrogen LMP3 Car