Ohio State engineering students have piloted their Buckeye Bullet 2 vehicle, a hydrogen fuel cell powered streamliner racer, over 200 mph, marking an historic milestone for alternative fuel vehicles.
On Aug. 17, the team's final racing run at the 2007 Speed Week at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the student-designed and built racer registered 201 mph, at 9,500 rpms in second gear. The Buckeye Bullet 2 team's goals were to verify that the propulsion system works properly, that the vehicle is safe, and to successfully run the vehicle for three miles, reaching 175 mph. In their final run attempt, the car achieved 201 mph as it exited the three-mile mark on the seven mile racing track.
The BB2, powered by recycled fuel cells stacks donated by Ballard Power Systems, was designed and built from the ground up by Ohio State students and the engineering services of Ballard, Ford Motor Company and Roush.
In addition to the BB2 surpassing the 200 mph mark, Ford set their own speed records on Aug. 15, racing the Ford Fusion 999 land speed record vehicle, designed by Ford engineers and fabricated and built by Roush, to 207 mph. Ohio State students provided the design for Ford's 770 hp electric motor, with Ballard supplying their hydrogen fuel cells also.
"This is a great day for the Buckeye Bullet team and our extended supporters and partners," said Giorgio Rizzoni, team advisor and professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio State. "In my 20-plus years in the automotive industry, I've never experienced anything close to the team spirit and camaraderie I witnessed this week as engineers from Ford and Ballard worked shoulder-to-shoulder with our student engineers to achieve this goal of surpassing 200 mph."
The team is enhancing the vehicle's systems in preparation for a return to Bonneville Oct. 3-5 for the 2007 Racing World Finals, with a goal of breaking the 314.958 mph record set by the first Buckeye Bullet in 2004. Follow the team at www.buckeyebullet.com and on the students' blog at blog.buckeyebullet.com.
About Ballard Power Systems
Ballard Power Systems (TSX: BLD; Nasdaq: BLDP) is recognized as a world leader in the design, development, manufacture and sale of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cells. Ballard's mission is to make fuel cells a commercial reality. To learn more about what Ballard is doing with Power to Change the World®, visit www.ballard.com.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With more than 280,000 employees and 100 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda.