KU Leuven’s HydroTeam unveiled a hydrogen-powered racing car prototype on Thursday, becoming the first student motor racing team in the world to run such a vehicle in real conditions.
Their long-term aim is to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2030.
The car is built on a chassis from Radical Sportscars and is powered by a Ford V6 engine converted to run on hydrogen.
It completed its first laps on Thursday inside the hall of Eastech Park in Leuven.
The team had already developed the engine last year and then focused on the remaining elements, including the fuel supply, electronics, cooling systems and the powertrain.
Those systems have now all been integrated into the vehicle.
Hydrogen is stored in a tank at 700 bar of pressure before being reduced to 5 bar for injection into the engine.
Before being fitted to the car, the full system was tested in a specialised chamber, where it withstood pressures of up to 875 bar, according to its designers.
It was then certified as compliant by Vinçotte.
HydroTeam is a student project at KU Leuven that aims to promote hydrogen as a key technology in the energy transition and sustainable mobility.
Founded two years ago, the team quickly attracted strong student interest in its first year.
It now consists of eight full-time members, supported by more than 50 part-time collaborators.
