Hydrogen hybrid supercar power

You may not think eco-friendly and speed go together, but Aston Martin’s Rapide S hybrid proves otherwise

The Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S made history at the Nürburgring 24-hour race in May 2013. It was the first hydrogen hybrid supercar to compete, and the first to run a zero carbon dioxide emissions lap.

You may have heard of hydrogen technology in cars before, such as the Honda FCX Clarity. However, there is no fuel cell involved here. Instead, the hydrogen is burned in the conventional Aston Martin six-litre V12 engine to produce its power. So what are the differences between burning hydrogen and petrol in an internal combustion engine (ICE)?

In a conventional ICE, petrol – or more specifically octane – is burned in air to produce the engine’s power via this simplified equation: 2C₈H₁₈ + 25O₂ -> 16CO₂ + 18H₂O.

The products of the reaction are a bunch of carbon dioxide molecules and water vapour.

This carbon dioxide is a significant contributor to global warming, and increasing efforts to reduce these emissions are underway. But if you use hydrogen as the fuel in an ICE, you get a very different outcome: 2H₂ + O₂ -> 2H₂O. If pure hydrogen and oxygen from the air are combusted in an engine, only water forms as an emission. Therefore, using hydrogen as fuel can remove the carbon aspect of conventional ICES altogether, leading to a dramatically reduced carbon dioxide output worldwide.

Aston Martin and Alset Global teamed up to adapt a 2013 Rapide S to run on either petrol, hydrogen or a blend of the two. The car was tested on the renowned ‘Green Hell’ of the Nürburgring by Aston Martin’s then-ceo Ulrich Bez in 2013 in preparation for its appearance at the Nürburgring 24-hour race in May of the same year. During the race it successfully completed a full lap on pure hydrogen, becoming the first ever car to do so. It finished the race with no issues to report.