Hydrogen electric cars make their appearance in the world of motorsport with the HYRAZE League. It will be a practically emission-free, sustainable automotive category, whose debut is scheduled for 2023 with two cars per team: one real and one eSports.
It will use “ecologically produced” hydrogen as fuel to power the cars that make up its grid and that will have 800 horsepower. These vehicles will use two hydrogen fuel cells to power the four electric motors.
If the propellant of the vehicles will have the latest technology, the braking system will not be left behind. It will be made up of an innovative circuit that will capture the brake dust generated when they rub against the pad and the disc, highly harmful to health, and will be eliminated in the car itself. Also, the tires will be developed from recycled raw materials.
Fuel cell technology opens a new window with respect to competitions such as Formula E towards possible race formats, as maximum performance can be used at all times (it can be refueled quickly) and could be extended to distances of resistance in a certain passage.
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Chassis parts are made from a natural fiber composite and teams can freely design them if they see the opportunity. This will ensure that each team can present their own design at the chassis level, although the exterior design will come at the expense of strict aerodynamic standards that will be design to favor overtaking and avoid skyrocketing development costs in this area.
In addition, the lack of downforce leads to longer stopping distances, which will benefit energy recovery through regeneration under braking.
Large companies and institutions such as ADAC, Dekra, Schaeffler or the DMBS (the German Motorsport Federation) support HYRAZE.
The main components of the propeller, electronics, among others, will be standardized and will be provided by a series of specialized manufacturers. The HWA AG engineers are developing the overall concept and the main components of the car.
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Schaeffler, one of the world’s largest component suppliers, will be the innovation and technology partner for electric motors, vectoring and steering, which will work by wire.
DEKRA and DMSB security experts will develop systems to protect critical hydrogen components (mainly tanks), pilots and spectators. The hydrogen tank is made of carbon fiber with multiple safety structures to protect it in the event of an accident.
Merger with eSports
The HYRAZE League does not want to be left behind in eSports, a growing business with increasing projection. For this reason, the teams in this category will have two drivers for each car: one for the real races and another that will participate in the eSports events, which will also count towards the championship.
The results of both races will count towards the tournament rankings in equal measure, so one team will be crowned the overall winner of both disciplines, a novelty for the entire world of motorsports.
The World eSports Association (WESA) is already working on developing race conditions in a virtual environment, in order to ensure that the HYRAZE League virtual competitions are of the highest level.
