We have already seen that hydrogen engines are attracting more and more attention in the motorsport world, such as this gasoline-free motorcycle from Kawazaki. Now a leading brand in high-performance engines is joining the ranks, promising to impose this technology in all areas of motorsport. This is the new hydrogen engine for a race car that doesn’t pollute.
The impossible hydrogen engine, created for the first time: Scientist are shocked about that
In general, one of the most important advantages offered by hydrogen engines is their high compatibility with traditional internal combustion engines. In general, these sustainable engines only need to replace gasoline with hydrogen, keeping the operation of most of the components the same with respect to traditional mechanics.
It should be noted that a hydrogen-on-gas engine is not the same as a fuel cell engine. Unlike hydrogen in gas, which is injected directly into the cylinder to produce an explosion on contact with the air, the fuel cell converts hydrogen into electricity, so the engine that drives the vehicle is completely different from the internal combustion mechanism.
This is the case of Ferrari, which along with other major brands such as Toyota, Alpine and Kawazaki, has joined the trend of green hydrogen in racing cars. But it not only surprises us for being a mechanism based on a renewable and environmentally friendly fuel that, at the same time, is very powerful, but also for a strange peculiarity: the engine is upside down.
Ferrari’s engine has a huge “problem”: It’s upside-down, and this is the reason
Combustion engines, in general, make significant use of the force of gravity for their operation. The arrangement of the auto parts helps to efficiently carry the coolant through the different parts that compose it. Also important is the recovery of oil, which falls into the crankcase and from there is recovered to circulate again through the auto parts.
While Ferrari’s hydrogen engine works in general like any of its high-performance combustion engines, it is in these kinds of fundamental aspects that it seems to distance itself for no apparent reason. For example, it is an inline six-cylinder engine, which is striking, as V6s and V8s are the norm for the Italians.
It is not so easy to explain, however, why Ferrari has decided to design its hydrogen engine “upside down”, i.e., literally, this engine is turned upside down. Not enough details are yet known about this technology so there is only some speculation as to the reason for this strange way of arranging the mechanism.
Ferrari’s power and hydrogen sustainability: This is not an FCEV like the others.
Currently, the main source of information we have about Ferrari’s hydrogen engine is the patent that has been approved for it, where the characteristics of the engine are specified, although we still do not know how it is assembled. It is possible that the choice of an inline six-cylinder engine has to do with the distribution of the hydrogen tanks in the chassis.
This may also be the reason for putting all the engine parts upside down, as the fuel tanks of this type of race car require a good amount of space. This space must be prepared for storage tanks with a capacity of about 200 bar pressure in order to keep the hydrogen in a liquid state.
The age of the hydrogen engine has begun
It is clear that the hydrogen engine is the technology of the future that will allow us to achieve the sustainability that we have sought so much in recent years. This new Ferrari model joins other launches such as Alpine’s racing car, which also features a hydrogen-in-gas engine and a futuristic design.
