Designed by Ford engineers in collaboration with Roush, University of Ohio and Ballard Power, the Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 is the worlds first and only production-vehicle based fuel cell race car.
Powered by a 770 horsepower electric motor and piloted by veteran racer and Ford employee Rick Byrnes, the Hydrogen 999 recently set out to perform top speed attempts on the Bonneville Salt Flats at Bonneville Speed Week. This annual event attracts hundreds of speed-crazed racing teams.
The goal: enter the 200 MPH club.
But the Hydrogen 999 didn't just enter the club, it smashed the door clean off the hinges. Byrnes drove the experimental machine to a top speed of 207.297 miles per hour.
"What we've accomplished is nothing short of an industry first," said Matt Zuehlk, the lead engineer on the project. "No other automaker in the world has come close."
Gerhard Schmidt, V.P. of Research & Advanced Engineering for Ford, added "racing is part of Ford Motor Company's DNA so it seemed only natural for us to build a fuel cell race car that runs on hydrogen, a fuel that could someday play a key role in meeting the energy needs of the transportation sector."
photo:Ford
Powered by a 770 horsepower electric motor and piloted by veteran racer and Ford employee Rick Byrnes, the Hydrogen 999 recently set out to perform top speed attempts on the Bonneville Salt Flats at Bonneville Speed Week. This annual event attracts hundreds of speed-crazed racing teams.
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The goal: enter the 200 MPH club.
But the Hydrogen 999 didn't just enter the club, it smashed the door clean off the hinges. Byrnes drove the experimental machine to a top speed of 207.297 miles per hour.
"What we've accomplished is nothing short of an industry first," said Matt Zuehlk, the lead engineer on the project. "No other automaker in the world has come close."
Gerhard Schmidt, V.P. of Research & Advanced Engineering for Ford, added "racing is part of Ford Motor Company's DNA so it seemed only natural for us to build a fuel cell race car that runs on hydrogen, a fuel that could someday play a key role in meeting the energy needs of the transportation sector."
photo:Ford