Engineering students from Ohio State University are pitting themselves against their own speed record with plans to design and race the first electric car to be powered by hydrogen fuel cells instead of batteries.

A team of students from Ohio State established a world speed record with the Buckeye Bullet in 2004, the first electric car to top 300mph.

The battery-powered Bullet was designed and built entirely by the student team, attaining a top speed of 315mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and slowing down with the aid of two parachutes.

This time, with the support of over 50 sponsors, a team led by Dr. Giorgio Rizzoni, with many members of the original Buckeye Bullet project, will use hydrogen fuel cells to power the Buckeye Bullet II. Cutting-edge CAD software is expected to deliver improvements to the aerodynamic design of the vehicle, enabling faster running.

It is hoped Buckeye Bullet II will inject enthusiasm into the research of efficient fuel cell deployment and, perhaps, shed new light on the potential for the technology in mass-market vehicles.


Ÿ Adfero Ltd