Box Autos

Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez has made history by driving the first ever zero CO₂ emissions lap in an international motor race in the manufacturer’s #100 Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S race car at the 41st ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours.

The 6.0-litre V12 twin-turbocharged prototype – based on Aston Martin’s new four-door, four-seat, naturally aspirated Rapide S – was developed with the support of renewable energy experts Alset Global to showcase Aston Martin’s commitment to engineering innovation in its centenary year.

Following his history-making qualifying stint in the car yesterday (Friday 17 May) Dr Bez commented: “We exceeded our already very ambitious target of completing a full lap of the Nürburgring and went on to cover 40 km in race conditions – nearly two laps – before the car automatically and smoothly switched to gasoline power.”

During the gruelling 24-hour endurance race, which starts at 17:00hrs CET on Sunday (19 May), the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S racer will run on a blend of gasoline and gaseous hydrogen, but the intention is that it will complete at least one lap in each stint on pure hydrogen.

The Hybrid Hydrogen system comprises a hydrogen fuel rail, storage tanks and proprietary engine management system. This enables flexibility in the control of the combustion process according to each particular driving situation: either pure hydrogen, gasoline or a arbitrary blend of both can be selected to ensure optimum power, acceleration and CO₂reduction. This control results in a powerful and dynamic propulsion system that provides sports car performance but with a carbon footprint more akin to that of a supermini.

Safety is paramount, of course, and the system includes four ultra-high strength carbon fibre tanks holding a total of 3.5kg of hydrogen stored at a pressure of 350bar – two tanks housed next to the driver and two in the boot of the car. Meanwhile the entire hydrogen system developed by Alset Global and its partners is approved by German motorsport’s governing body, the DMSB.

The Hybrid Hydrogen race car is based on the new Rapide S four-door sports car that is arriving in Aston Martin showrooms worldwide this month.

Redesigned and re-engineered to offer even greater style and significantly enhanced performance by virtue of its new AM11 6.0-litre V12 naturally aspirated engine, the new Rapide S is capable of 190 mph and sprints from 0 to 62 mph in only 4.9 seconds.