Yesterday I talked about the Formula H hydrogen racecar going for the Guinness World Record for land speed for cars in its class. And, several times in the past, I’ve talked about using clean, green hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a future fuel for cars, where the only bi-products are steam and oxygen.
Now, a racecar named the Bloodhound SSC will attempt to be the first in history to break the 1,000 mph barrier and do it partly fueled by hydrogen peroxide. The current world record for land speed was set in 1997 by the ThrustSSC at 763 mph with Andy Green, a British Royal Air Force fighter pilot.
Besides creating an amazing feat using green technology, one of the major points of this project is to promote the fields of science, technology, mathematics and engineering in the United Kingdom where enrollment has been declining as of late.
The Bloodhound SSC will start off using a MCT V12 800 bhp race engine before the EJ200 turbofan kicks in and the high test peroxide (HTP) is pumped to the Falcon booster rocket. In a matter of seconds, the Bloodhound SSC is anticipated to reach Mach 1.4 and the 1,000 mph barrier.
Hydrogen peroxide may not be as well-known of a fuel as compressed or liquid hydrogen, but racecars, jetpacks and even the NASA rockets are harnessing this fuel for green propulsion. Hydrogen peroxide may just be the dark-horse of the alternative fuels waiting to be noticed by the public at large.