Hyundai Motor partners with Forze Hydrogen Racing to push the boundaries of fuel cell mobility
Hyundai Motor has announced a partnership with Forze Hydrogen Racing. Forze is a student team that designs, builds and competes hydrogen electric racing automobiles for the promotion of fuel cell mobility.
In 2021, Forze will finish the first iteration of Forze IX with one balance of plant. Then, in 2022, the team will implement the second balance and finish the car. Once completed, it is expected to be the world’s fastest fuel cell electric racing car and a profound breakthrough in sustainable racing. The Forze IX will have a top speed of 300 km/h, and an acceleration from 0-100 km/h in less than three seconds. Weighing 1,500 kg, the Forze IX will carry two fuel cell systems with a total combined output of 240 kW, and an accumulator with a maximum boost power of 600 kW, and all-wheel drive.
Hyundai will cooperate with Forze to further push the boundaries of fuel cell mobility. Student innovators from the Forze team will consult with engineers from Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center (HMETC) in Rüsselsheim, Germany for their expertise, experience and support.
“Forze is an exciting team made up of some of the brightest young minds, and with a proven pedigree of bringing fuel cell mobility to the race track,” says Tyrone Johnson, Head of Vehicle Development at Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center. “Hyundai is delighted to enter into this partnership with Forze. By drawing on our leadership in fuel cell mobility and Forze’s ambition to take hydrogen to the next level, together we will push the boundaries of what’s possible in the development of zero-emissions racing.”
The Forze Motorsport team consists of more than 60 students from Technische Universiteit Delft (Delft University of Technology) in the Netherlands, with a wide variety of educational backgrounds. They work a year full- or part-time to gain experience in the Forze team and particularly in the field of hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Hyundai, on the other hand, brings its decades of experience and leadership in innovation and the development of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV). The company’s second-generation FCEV, the NEXO, recently received the coveted (and maximum) five-star rating from Green NCAP.
