Forze Hydrogen Racing is partnering with Hyundai for the creation of the Forze IX, which they claim will be the fastest hydrogen-powered race car on earth. Powered by two fuel cell systems, the Forze IX will have a maximum power output of up to 800 hp on boost, which will be sent to all four wheels. It will weigh 1,500 kg, hit 96 km/h in less than three seconds and should have a top speed in excess of 300 km/h.
To create it, Forze has tapped Hyundai as
consultants on hydrogen power. The automaker will make engineers from its
Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center in Russelheim, Germany, available to the
Forze Team. Indeed, the team is full of very young minds since it is made up of
60 students at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, who can
work full or part-time for the Forze team as part of their studies.
As the vehicle’s name suggests, this isn’t
the team’s first car. In 2015, it produced the Forze VI, which lapped the
Nurburgring Nordschleife in less than 11 minutes, setting a record for
hydrogen-powered vehicles in the process.
Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a bit
before we see the Forze IX in its full glory. The team only expects to finish
the car in 2022, but it should be pretty impressive when it does. Moreover,
since there aren’t many other hydrogen track cars to compete with, the Forze IX
will, like its predecessors, race against internal combustion engine rivals.
