A group of undergraduate students has built and successfully operated a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine.
Engineering students at the University of Bath switched on their single-cylinder engine for the first time in March, and it worked seamlessly.
Their work stands out because despite significant efforts by major automotive manufacturers to advance the technology, hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines are not commercially accessible.
“The achievement makes them the world’s first undergraduate students to develop and run a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine,” according to a statement by the University.
The Bath Hydrogen team members aim to set a land speed record with their newly developed engine.
The fifteen members of the Bath Hydrogen team are third- and fourth-year students enrolled in integrated mechanical and electrical engineering, automotive engineering, and mechanical engineering courses.
The team was established as a successor to Team Bath Racing, one of the UK’s most prosperous Formula Student racing teams. The initiative was shut down in 2022 due to a determination to concentrate on developing zero-emission vehicles rather than gasoline-powered racing cars.