Driving to new world records

A new Guinness World Record was set in June by students from the Technical University of Delft who successfully drove a hydrogen car 2,488.4 kilometers in three days without refueling. Incredibly, they achieved this using less than one kilogram of hydrogen.

The feat was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest distance ever covered by a hydrogen-powered vehicle without refueling. This broke a previous record, set by Toyota, of driving a hydrogen car for 2,000 kilometers without refueling.

Inspire for sustainability

The visionary vehicle was designed and built by the Eco-Runner Team Delft, a team of 24 students who planned, constructed and tested the hydrogen-powered vehicle within a year.

The team aims to inspire the automobile industry and others to transition to more sustainable forms of energy. Hydrogen, for example, is a very attractive, clean fuel option for transportation and electricity generation applications as it only emits water when consumed. It can be produced from a variety of resources including natural gas, nuclear power, biomass, and renewable power like solar and wind energy.

Dormer Pramet, a Sandvik brand, sponsored the team by providing tools and expertise on how to machine the parts for the car. “It went very smoothly. It was much better than the old tools we were used to,” says Bas Geerts, Chief Vehicle Dynamics on the team, adding that they mainly machined aluminum.

I think this project shows that our motto ‘simply reliable’ is very true

“I think this project shows that our motto ‘simply reliable’ is very true,” says Jeroen Pieterse, Sales Manager Benelux & Switzerland, Dormer Pramet. “We already have the tools needed to accomplish something truly special and innovative. And, we make sure that we keep on innovating, so that we can continue helping to develop new technologies around the world.”

Shifting to more sustainable solutiuons

The project fits perfectly with Dormer Pramet’s strategy, purpose and shift to more sustainable solutions, he adds. “Sustainability is one of our main strategic pillars and this project is really an example of this: a group of university students proves to the world that they can get a record-breaking achievement that can inspire a whole industry to become greener.”

Dormer Pramet has sponsored several projects to advance the efforts in fuel efficiency technology. Last year, the company provided tools and expertise to a TU Delft team that built a hydrogen-fueled boat. The boat landed in second place in contests for speed and distance.

There’s no hesitation when Pieterse says the company will sponsor TU Delft students again.

“We are extremely proud of the team of students and glad that we were able to contribute to their success.”