On April 16, 2013 I had talked about the Aston Martin Rapide S hydrogen hybrid dual fuel car and its upcoming 24-Hours of Nürburgring Race. Are we there yet? Well, not quite but almost.
The Rapide S hydrogen, however, has completed a test lap at the Nurburgring’s Nordschleife. The test drive went smoothly and no technical issues were forthcoming.
According to Wired.com, “The racer, based on the utterly gorgeous, if completely impractical, Rapide sedan, will be the first zero-emissions hydrogen vehicle to compete in an international endurance event.
“Powering the Rapide is a prototype twin-turbocharged, 6.0-liter V12 that can run on hydrogen, gasoline or a mixture of both. For this race, the Rapide will be topped up with 7.7 pounds of hydrogen after each stint. Naturally, safety is of the utmost importance in motorsport, so a set of ‘ultra-high strength carbon fiber tanks’ will hold the combustible material, with a custom fuel rail and engine management system plumbing hydrogen into the snorting bent-12. All the hardware has been approved by the German motorsport authority.”
And CNET.com adds a little more info about the Rapide S hydrogen car, “For the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S, Aston Martin modified the fuel system of the car’s 6-liter V-12 engine and added four 5,000 PSI carbon fiber tanks. The tanks hold 3.5 kilograms (7.7 pounds) of hydrogen.
“Aston Martin expects the car to run the course at racing speeds, with stops at each lap to refill the hydrogen tank … The Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S’ performance numbers sound impressive, hitting 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and attaining a top speed of 190 mph, according to Aston Martin.”
When the Rapide S hydrogen race car does run for real (in the May 17 – 20, 2013 time frame) it will be placed in the E1-XP experimental class of the endurance race. And afterwards Aston Martin will be able to boldly say, “We have arrived.”
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