In the race towards the efficiency of an emission-free future of motorsport, car manufacturers are struggling to make the most of alternative fuels such as hydrogen or electric batteries. There are many big brands that are investigating the most viable options when it comes to building a safe and sustainable vehicle. That is why it is surprising that it was precisely university students who managed to build the most efficient hydrogen vehicle in the world.
Just a few days ago, a group of young people from the Technical University of Delft (Netherlands) achieved the feat of setting a new Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled without refueling, with their urban vehicle prototype powered by hydrogen.
Designed, built, tested and driven by themselves, the Eco-Runner XIII has proven to be the world’s most efficient hydrogen car by covering 2,488.5 kilometers in three days on a single 950 gram tank of fuel.
The team of 24 students has taken a year to conceive this vehicle, which they presented on June 23 as part of a competition in which university students from various faculties come together to develop the vehicles that will probably mark the future of the automotive industry.
The Eco-Runner XIII is an incredibly compact and aerodynamic fun light vehicle that transforms hydrogen into electrical energy that powers its engines. It weighs only 72 kg, since carbon fiber has been used to build some parts that are usually made of steel.
The record was held at the Immendingen test track in southern Germany, on a 4.7 km long circuit. The race began on June 23, with 11 drivers taking turns driving the car in two-hour shifts for a total of 71.5 hours of non-stop driving.
The previous world record barrier of 2,056km was broken at 8:26AM. of June 26. During the competition, the car covered almost 2,500 km at 45 km/h, consuming just 950 g of hydrogen.
Guinness World Records representatives oversaw the record attempt and officially recognized the achievement. In this way, the Eco-Runner XIII has become the holder of the title for the longest distance traveled by a vehicle powered by hydrogen without refueling.
Eco-Runner is an annual project in which students from different faculties come together to design and build a new car to participate in some of the most prestigious student competitions. The first vehicle they built was the three-wheeled Eco 1 in 2005, which was in the top five in Shell’s Eco-Marathon, which challenges students to design, build and race fuel-efficient cars.
In the following video you can see the moment the Eco-Runner XIII broke the record and the euphoria of its creators.
