When Aston Martin announced the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S we were pretty impressed by the company’s ambitions to enter a hydrogen-powered car in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. However, it looks like the company did more than just enter the race, as the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S made quite a splash at the race where it managed to become the first race car to complete emission-free laps in an international automotive race. Even more so, there were moments when the car hit a top speed of 160 mph, while running just on hydrogen.
The Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S was the only car to enter a special E1-XP2 race classification. The car needed only 30 seconds to refill, with the hydrogen being stored at 350 bar (5,076 psi) of pressure.
After the race, Aston Martin said that the new racecar "has showcased the most practical technology available to fundamentally address the challenge of global emissions without disrupting the automotive industry."
Click past the jump to read more about the 2013 Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S.
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Aston Martin has revealed today the first details on a Hybrid Hydrogen-powered Rapide S that will be raced at the 41st ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring next month.
The model will be based on the standard four-door sedan and will become the first zero CO2 emissions sports car to complete a race-pace lap at the Nürburgring 24-hour race.
The model is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V-12 engine and can be run on pure gasoline, pure gaseous hydrogen or a combination of the two. In pure hydrogen mode, Aston Martin will race the Nordschleife while emitting just water.
The new Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S features a special Hybrid Hydrogen system that includes a hydrogen fuel rail, storage tanks and proprietary engine management system. The system includes four ultra-high-strength carbon-fiber tanks that can hold 7.7 pounds of hydrogen stored at a 350-bar pressure.
Its official race debut will be made in the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours race on May 19th and 20th where it will have to take on more than 150 other cars.
Update 5/16/2013: Aston Martin has revealed the official images of the new Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S in its full blue-and-white racing livery and with its carbon-fiber dash.
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About two weeks ago, Aston Martin unveiled the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S, which has been announced to race the 41st ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring next month. It looks like the company didn’t want to wait that long and it took the prototype to Nordschleife for a testing session.
The test was completed on Saturday, April 27th when Aston Martin wrote a new page in history, as the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S became the first hydrogen-fueled model to lap the 24 km (14-mile) Nordschleife circuit in Germany with zero CO2 emissions. Behind the wheel was Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ulrich Bez.
After this test, the Hybrid Hydrogen four-door sedan will also become the first hydrogen-powered car to compete in an international event and the first zero CO2 emission car to pace the Nürburgring 24-hour race. The car will compete in the experimental class (E1-XP) after passing rigorous technical and safety tests.
Click past the jump to read more about the Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S.
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Today, Porsche decided to surprise us with the unveiling of the first details on the second-generation Panamera. While most of us were waiting to see some minor modifications applied to the current generation, Porsche considered bigger updates were required.
The most important update offered by the second-generation Panamera is given by the introduction of a new S E-Hybrid model that according to Porsche "sets new standards in efficiency, performance and operating convenience."
In the new S E-Hybrid model Porsche combines a 3.0 liter V-6 engine with a more powerful electric motor and a higher-performance battery. This system allows the Panamera to run in pure electric mode a total of 22 miles and can be driven to speeds up to 83 mph. The car’s electric motor can be recharged externally from the electrical grid, but also using energy recovery while braking.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2014 Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid.
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After nearly a year of seeing Mitt Romney and Barack Obama fling mud – maybe even a little poo – back and forth at each other, the election is finally over. Love him or hate him, Obama is in office for another four years and he has already shown that he likes to dwell in the automotive realm (see: automotive bailout, Chrysler bankruptcy, and DOE loans for EV technology).
A big one on our radar these days is the renewal of the CAFÉ standards – yes, it was a renewal; the CAFÉ standards are nothing new – and their direct impact on the sport car realm. By the year 2025, all automakers must have a corporate average fuel economy rating of at least 54.5 mpg, a number that sports cars often drag down.
There is a good possibility that one of three things will happen due to these standards. First, is the chance that automakers install more advance turbocharging technologies on vehicles in order to keep their power output high and fuel economy high too. With those technologies come rising price tags – something we are already experiencing today. The second – most unlikely – scenario is the complete elimination of all powerful sports cars, leaving behind just the likes of the underpowered-for-a-true-sports-car Scion FR-S-like vehicles. The third scenario is one that would satisfy our itch for fast cars and the EPA’s itch for eco-friendly cars, and that is the widespread development of super powerful electric, hydrogen fuel cell or natural gas sports cars.
The latter situation is one that we already know is possible. Have a look as the Tesla Model S and you’ll see a car that can travel 300 miles on a charge and still zip to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. And that is a rather large sedan, so imagine it as a sports car. Same goes for the mid-5-second sprint to 60 mph that the 5,000-pound Fisker Karma completes. The final example is the Maxximus LNG 2000 and its 1,600-horsepower natural-gas-powered engine.
We think that this renewal of Obama’s stay at the White House won’t necessarily bring about the conversion to alternative fuel sports cars in the next four years, but it will certainly accelerate the process significantly. We honestly think it is a thing to look forward too, not be afraid of. Just think, no more gas station trips!!
At the 2012 Paris Auto Show, Hyundai announced plans to become the first global automaker to begin commercial rollout of zero-emissions vehicles. Deliveries on their new ix35 Fuel Cell Vehicle will begin in December 2012 and by 2015, the company hopes to have built up to 1,000 units.
The ix35 Fuel Cell Vehicle is powered by hydrogen, with a fuel cell stack converting the hydrogen into electricity, which in turn charges the Lithium Polymer battery that powers the vehicle’s electric motor. Other technologies include kinetic energy regeneration system that charges the battery when the driver applies the brakes or drives downhill, plus a start/stop system which helps minimize energy loss in city driving. The only emission generated by the ix35 Fuel Cell is water steam. The ix35 Fuel Cell will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 12.5 seconds, can hit a top speed of 100 mph, and can travel 588km (365miles) without refueling.
"The ix35 Fuel Cell is the pinnacle of Hyundai’s advanced engineering and our most powerful commitment to be the industry leader in eco-friendly mobility," said Vice Chairman Woong Chul Yang, head of Hyundai R&D. "Zero-emissions cars are no longer a dream. Our ix35 Fuel Cell vehicle is here today, and ready for commercial use.
Since 2009, Honda has had hydrogen fuel cell vehicles running around in Europe and in 2011, Honda joined the Clean Energy Partnership in Europe to help bring hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to the forefront. Now Honda is set to expand its hydrogen fuel cell vehicle production in a huge way by replacing the existing FCX Clarity with an all-new fuel cell vehicle in 2015. What’s more is that this car will be marketed in Japan and the U.S., as well as Europe.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles use hydrogen to create electricity and the electricity is used to power the car. This means that there is literally no non-renewable fuel used and the only emissions created are water vapor. The details are still pretty sketchy on the entire project and Honda has pretty much only let us in on a little bit of information. In a statement, Honda stated that this new fuel cell vehicle will “showcase further technological advancement and significant cost reduction that Honda has accomplished.”
The latter statement is thanks to a new manufacturing process that Honda will adopt that allows it to produce its cars at the same time around the world, as opposed to staggering the production around the globe. Per Honda’s research, and general consensus agreement, this will reduce the cost of producing all Hondas, not just FCVs.
The biggest issue that Honda will run into in the U.S. is the hydrogen-delivery infrastructure. You can’t really head on down to your local BP station and top off your hydrogen tanks at will. It definitely takes a little planning and we are interested to see what Honda has up its sleeves for this. Don’t be shocked to start seeing Honda offering up filling stations at local dealerships that sell these cars.
We’ll keep you up to date on the production and details on this upcoming Honda FCV.
