Students to arrive in England to show off their new hydrogen-powered car

June 22, 2016 0 By Erin Kilgore

University of Alberta students will compete in the Driver’s World Championship

Students from the University of Alberta are looking to reach new heights in terms of fuel efficiency and performance with their new hydrogen-powered car. The students will be traveling to England next month in order to compete in Driver’s World Championship. The event is one of the latest evolutions of the Shell Eco-Marathon, which is meant to highlight the capabilities of clean vehicles. The new event will be the first time a wide array of clean vehicle developers, the vast majority of whom are students, will be competing in the United Kingdom to bring innovation to clean transportation.

Team has developed a new racecar equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell

The team from the University of Alberta is comprised of 40 students, running the gamut from engineering, business, and graphic arts specialties. Together, the team has developed a vehicle equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell. The energy system generates electricity through the consumption of hydrogen, with the only by-product being water vapor. With their new fuel cell car, the team hopes to achieve a higher level of fuel efficiency, but they also want to show that the vehicle can compete with others in terms of speed and performance.

Driver’s World Championship will have a broader focus

Hydrogen-powered car created by Alberta University Students - Image of University of AlbertaThe Shell Eco-Marathon has long focused on the fuel efficiency aspect of clean vehicles. The Driver’s World Championship, however, will also highlight the capabilities of these vehicles. Many conventional electric vehicles, which are powered by battery systems, often receive criticism for their lack of performance in terms of speed. Fuel cells, however, do not give up on the performance aspect for the sake of being environmentally friendly. The Driver’s World Championship aims to bring this concept into the limelight, showing that clean technology can improve vehicles rather than hinder their ability to perform.

Student team is prepared to compete

The team from the University of Alberta will not be the only students there with a hydrogen-powered car. The competition may be fierce, especially as the team will face off against those beyond the fuel cell category. According to team captain Nikola Victorov, the team has received strong support from its community at the University of Alberta.

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