Students Rise to the CO2 Challenge 13th July 2008
The Low Carbon cars were competing in Class 1A of the FS competition for the Flybrid Systems trophy and the three entrants chose very different technical solutions. With one petrol electric hybrid car, one bio ethanol powered car and one hydrogen powered car the judges, marshals and scrutineers all had a steep learning curve to negotiate.
Not surprisingly the cars all had technical problems of one sort or another but the eventual winner was Hertfordshire University with their hydrogen powered car. Using a 250 cc motorcycle engine fitted with a supercharger to burn compressed hydrogen gas stored at up to 220 bar the car lapped the endurance circuit on Sunday afternoon in 68 seconds whilst emitting an impressively low 144 g/km. By comparison an average Class 1 FS car lapped in around 57 seconds and emitted about 360 g/km of CO2.
It is hard to compare these numbers directly with those normally quoted for road cars because the drive cycle so heavily affects the test result but for further comparison a Formula One car emits around 1,500 g/km in racing conditions and a supercar like a Lamborghini would also emit around 1,500 g/km whilst being driven hard on a racing circuit.
Pictured from left to right Oxford Brookes University (petrol electric hybrid car) Coventry University (E85 bio ethanol powered car) and Hertfordshire University (Hydrogen powered car)