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Membership
In addition to having access to Ohio's largest fuel cell network, partners of WFCG receive discounted rates for service. Visit www.wfcg.org to find out more.
To submit materials or information for Hot Off the Grid, contact Lyndy Rutkowski at lyndy@case.edu. |
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Partner Facilities
Wright
Fuel Cell Center accommodates to specific fuel cell testing needs,
in addition, our partner's fuel cell facilities each have
their own area of expertise:
Case
Wright Fuel Cell Center
CAPI: Analytical instruments
SOFC Lab
Cleveland State University
SOFC Lab
Ohio State University
Fuel Cell and Catalyst Research Lab
Stark State College of Technology
Fuel Cell Prototyping Center
University of Toledo
Designing new Fuel Cell Lab
Currently based in Engineering Labs |
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Fuel Cell Vehicles Make Land Speed History
This week, two fuel cell-powered race vehicles collaboratively engineered by Ford, Ballard,
Roush and WFCG Partner
The Ohio State University made history during Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah.
The vehicles, the Buckeye Bullet 2 (BB2) and the Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999
, joined the Bonneville 200 mile-per-hour club with speeds of 201
and 207 miles per hour, respectively. Additionally, the 999 set a
land-speed record for a production-based hydrogen fuel cell-powered car.
“It’s an
amazing feat,” said Giorgio Rizzoni, faculty advisor and director at
the Center for Automotive Research, OSU. “While fuel cell vehicles
have been in production for some time, they were never imagined to
reach speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour.” |
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OSU students and Ballard and Ford engineers celebrate the first
successful test of the Bullet 2 500-kW fuel cell system at the OSU
Center for Automotive Research. The Buckeye Bullet 2 was
designed and built by a group of OSU students from the Center for
Automotive Research. Additionally, the students collaborated
with Ford on the design of the 999’s fuel cell propulsion and electric
traction system. |
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| The 999’s 207 miles per hour beat the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA
) sanctioned land speed record set in the category by BMW using a
vehicle equipped with an internal combustion hydrogen engine. However,
prior to the 999's 207 miles per hour, there were no
official records for fuel cell vehicles. Both the BB2's and the 999's times were sanctioned by the Southern California Timing Association®.
The BB2 will return to Bonneville for the 2007 Racing World Finals
in October with the goal of breaking 300 miles per hour.
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| About the BB2
The BB2
is the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell-powered land speed racing
research vehicle. The car was designed and built by a group of OSU
students from the
Center for Automotive Research,
ranging from freshman status to doctoral candidates. The students
have worked on the car on a volunteer basis for the last two
years.
The BB2 is powered by heavy-duty Ballard Power Systems
fuel cells capable of more than 700 horsepower. The racecar combines
onboard hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity. The cells heat
up just like an engine and need to be cooled; however, a radiator would
cause too much drag at speeds of 300 miles per hour, so the students
employed an ice bath.
About the Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999
On the outside, the 999 looks like Ford’s standard midsize Fusion sedan. However, as
the name suggests, it’s powered by a bank of hydrogen fuel cells which,
together with an electric motor, produce 770 horsepower.
The
Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 was designed by Ford engineers and fabricated
and built by Roush in Allen Park, Mich. OSU students collaborated with
Ford on the design of the 999’s fuel cell propulsion and electric
traction system, while Ballard supplied the hydrogen fuel cells.
The
Fusion Hydrogen 999 is named in honor of Henry Ford’s 1904 land speed
racer, which topped 91 miles per hour on a frozen Lake St. Clair.
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About Bonneville
The Bonneville Speedway
is a seven-mile-long, 100-foot-wide course. The first two miles
are for acceleration only, and are not timed. The elapsed time
through the each
of the middle three miles is recorded. The final two miles are
for breaking. If a vehicle beats a speed record for its class during
any of the three timed miles, it will do a backup run first thing the
next day. The speed from the fastest mile from the backup run is
then averaged with the speed from the day before. If
the average speed is faster than the existing record, a new record
is established. All attempts are overseen by the Southern California
Timing Association (SCTA) and the Bonneville Nationals Inc. (BNI). Learn more. |
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BB2 and 999 images courtesy of Giorgio Rizzoni |
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MISSION STATEMENT
To enable the commercialization of fuel cell technologies by marshaling Ohio's unique industrial and intellectual resources
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