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Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S
An Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S race car , driven by Aston’s CEO Dr Ulrich Bez, has completed the first ever zero-CO2 emissions lap – in fact 40km in total – in an international motor race at the 41st ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours.
The 6.0-litre V12 twin-turbocharged prototype – based on Aston Martin’s new four-door, four-seat, naturally aspirated Rapide S – was developed with the support of renewable energy experts Alset Global to showcase Aston Martin’s commitment to engineering innovation in its centenary year.
Following his history-making qualifying stint in the car on Friday 17 May Dr Bez commented: “We exceeded our already very ambitious target of completing a full lap of the Nürburgring and went on to cover 40 km in race conditions – nearly two laps – before the car automatically and smoothly switched to gasoline power.”
The Hybrid Hydrogen system comprises a hydrogen fuel rail, storage tanks and proprietary engine management system. This enables flexibility in the control of the combustion process according to each particular driving situation: either pure hydrogen, gasoline or a blend of both can be selected to ensure optimum power, acceleration and CO2 reduction.
The system includes four ultra-high strength carbon fibre tanks holding a total of 3.5kg of hydrogen stored at a pressure of 350bar – two tanks housed next to the driver and two in the boot of the car. Meanwhile the entire hydrogen system developed by Alset Global and its partners is approved by German motorsport’s governing body, the DMSB.
The Hybrid Hydrogen race car is based on the new Rapide S four-door sports car that is arriving in Aston Martin showrooms worldwide this month.
