Eco-Runner Team Delft: the World’s Most Efficient Hydrogen Car:

Our team

We are Eco-Runner Team Delft – a multidisciplinary student team from Delft University of Technology that works every year on designing and building the most efficient hydrogen-powered car in the world. Each team member has several years of study experience and comes from different academic backgrounds (aerospace engineers, technical physicists, mechanical engineers, etc.). In total, our team consists of 25 students which have been divided over five departments so that everyone fulfills a unique role that suits them best. Besides the Management department, there is the Operations department and three engineering departments (Bodyworks, Vehicle Dynamics, and Powertrain & Electronics). Last year, Eco-Runner XIII set the fantastic Guinness World Record for the furthest distance driven by a hydrogen-powered car without refueling by covering an astonishing distance of 2488.5 km on less than 1 kilogram of hydrogen, an improvement of more than 20% compared to the previous record holders.

Our goal

For the first time, we are transitioning from concept to reality. The goal of the current team (Eco-Runner Team Delft XIV) is to develop a street-legal vehicle and thereby set a new world record for the world’s most efficient hydrogen-powered vehicle, this time on the public roads. This means that the Eco-Runner XIV will be certified by the RDW, allowing it to drive on public roads in the Netherlands. This is a step that no team before us has taken, but it is a necessary step to to show the world that hydrogen as a fuel is a feasible option, thereby working on a sustainable future.

This year, we aim to set a world record again. The world record we will attempt to achieve is driving 2056 km on the public road without refueling. Since we can drive on public roads this year, we want to connect our world record attempt to an iconic route, and for this purpose we have chosen the Elfstedentocht.

The Elfstedentocht is a legendary ice-skating marathon held in the province of Friesland. This tour passes through the eleven cities of Friesland, covering a total distance of almost 200 kilometers. If the weather conditions allow it, the Elfstedentocht is skated annually, but the last time the Elfstedentocht was skated was in 1997. This also forms a good link with the Eco-Runner project: the tour can no longer be skated due to global warming, and now the Eco-Runner XIV will drive it using a sustainable mode of transportation to draw attention to the need for sustainable alternatives in mobility to accelerate towards a sustainable future.

Our impact

Additionally, we will continue to promote sustainability and hydrogen through various mediums, such as a VR experience showcasing the future of Eco-Runner, our podcast about hydrogen (‘De Waterstofpodcast’), and introducing our project and team at primary and secondary schools. We find it important to present ourselves in a way that reflects our values and goes beyond the “simple” technical aspect of our project. In the ways mentioned above, we aim to raise awareness for the energy transition and hydrogen among many different target audiences.

 The PCB’s

Moving on to the technical aspect of the Eco-Runner XIV: in our car, there are two main PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards): the front PCB and the rear PCB, both produced by Eurocircuits. We use the front PCB to control all conventional car components such as the horn, lights, windshield wipers, etc. Additionally, this PCB ensures that a connected screen to the driver displays all the information required in order to operate the car. This includes not only speed but also safety, location, and the state of the hydrogen system.

Much of this information originates from the rear PCB. This PCB serves as the central hub for all the sensors. The received data is transmitted to both the front PCB and an external storage location. Since we are making the car street-legal this year, we have also taken extra care to ensure that the PCBs comply with EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) standards. This involves incorporating filters and keeping the traces as short as possible.