Formula Student Netherlands 2023
This year we will be the only car driving on hydrogen. This race is meant to show everyone what we do and to convince other teams to join our hydrogen category. This way we can race against other teams next year and we stimulate other teams to discover the possibilities of hydrogen and keep on innovating.
We are super excited for our first race of 2023 and to show our new hydrogen racing car: Apollo GDO.
On this page we will post regular updates so you can follow our journey!
APOLLO GDO
Hydroelectric
system
Hydrogen Tank
The tank is a carbon fibre wrapped hydrogen cylinder which stores the hydrogen at a pressure of 350 bar.
Pressure Regulator
This component decreases the pressure of hydrogen from 350 to 1-2 bar.
Electronic Pressure Regulator
This component further regulates the pressure electronically to the exact pressure that isrequired for the desired power.
Pressure Meter
This meter measures the pressure of the hydrogen right before entering the fuel cell. This lets the electronic pressure regulator act based on this information.
Recirculation Pump
The fuel cell is not 100% efficient in converting oxygen and hydrogen to power and water, thus the recirculation pump recirculates the unused hydrogen into the loop.
Air Filter
The air fil
ter filters the air and makes sure it’s clean to prevent damaging the fuel cell’s membrane.
Compressor
This component makes sure the air is at the right pressure to create the desired amount of power.
Intercooler
Pressurisation by the compressor creates heat, so the air must be cooled by this component.
Humidifier
This component makes sure the air is the right humidy to enter the fuel cell.
Fuel Cell
In the fuel cell oxygen and hydrogen meet under certain circumstances and with the help of a catalyst, a chemical reaction takes place. Electrical current and water vapour are produced.
DC DC Converter
This component changes the voltage of the electrical power from 129V to 600V to make it suitable for the rest of our system and increase efficiency.
Accumulator
This component acts as an energy buffer and is the temporary storage. The fuel cell produces a constant amount of power, but the motors do not use a constant amount. Therfore, the accumulator provides for spikes in energy demand.
Motor Controller
The motor controller coordinates the performance of an electric motor. It regulates the speed, limits torque and protects against overload and electrical faults. Furthermore, it converts the direct current to alternating current for our motors to use.
Motor
We have rear-wheel drive using in-wheel 36kW motors to power our vehicle.
Updates