Formula Zero Championship 2008 Starts in Rotterdam

On Friday in the centre of Rotterdam, at the sound of the Vice-Mayor’s starting gun, the Formula Zero Championship commenced. Six internatonal teams spent two days competing for the title of this new zero emission race series.

The Formula Zero Championship consisted of two different challenges for the racing teams. On Friday from 17:30 there was sprint races in which teams competed for the fastest lap time with a ‘flying start’. On Saturday there will was the two-mile main races with ‘standing start’ (approx. 6 laps). The mobile race track, which can be put up anywhere, has a length of 535m and lies at the foot of the Willemsbridge.

Each team's entry was powered by a commercial fuel cell that produces electricity from hydrogen.

Founded by Dutch motorsport enthusiasts Godert van Hardenbroek and Eelco Rietveld, Formula Zero is already recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, the world's motorsport governing body.

Teams Competing in the event were;

• Greenchoice Forze: TU Delft, Delft, The Netherlands
• EUPLATECH2: EUPLA, Zaragoza, Spain
• Imperial Racing Green: Imperial College London, London, UK
• Element One: Lawrence Technological University, Detroit, USA
• HercUCLAs: University of California, Los Angeles, USA
• Unicord Solvay Zero Emission: RacingTeam Groep T, Leuven, Belgium

"In 10 years if the motorsport industry as a whole hasn't engaged in zero or low emission principles, it probably won't be around. Teams that embrace this new technology early on will succeed, and those that don't will fall by the wayside. With a combustion engine, you have to reach three or four thousand rev[olutions per minute] to get your peak power, with an electric vehicle, it's all there from standing, and they're more efficient."
Greg Offer, Imperial Racing Green, Imperial College London

It is expected that the class will grow to Formula Three standard and then full-size racing class as interest in green motoring escalates. The next event will be held in the US in March. In 2009 the Formula Zero championship will comprise four races.

Formula Zero’s goal is to generate enthusiasm for fuel cell cars and accelerate the introduction of this technology into commercial production. Formula Zero proves that sustainable mobility is already a reality. The racing world is the ideal environment for developing this technology so that we will eventually all drive zero emission cars. Whilst the event may not be zero emissions the cars are, and the benefit of engaging events like this is that it will encourage commericial production of fuel cell vehicles in the future.

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