We have already seen that hydrogen engines are attracting more and more attention from the world of motorsport, like this gasoline-free motorcycle from Kawazaki. Now a leading brand in high-performance engines is joining the ranks that promises to impose this technology in all areas of motorsport. This is the new pollution-free hydrogen-powered racing car.
The impossible hydrogen engine
In general, one of the most important advantages that hydrogen engines offer is the high compatibility they maintain with respect to traditional internal combustion engines. In general, These sustainable engines only need to replace gasoline with hydrogenkeeping the operation of most of the components the same with respect to traditional mechanics.
It must be taken into account that a hydrogen gas engine is not the same as a fuel cell engine. Unlike hydrogen gas, which is injected directly into the cylinder to produce an explosion upon contact with air, the fuel cell converts hydrogen into electricity, so the engine that powers the vehicle is completely different from the combustion mechanism. internal.
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 because it is a mechanism based on a renewable and environmentally friendly fuel that, at the same time, is very powerful, but also because of a strange peculiarity: the engine is upside down.
Ferrari’s “top” engine
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 make it up. 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 generally works like any of its high-performance combustion engines, it is in these types of fundamental aspects where it seems to distance itself for no apparent reason. For example, It is an inline six cylinder engine.which is striking, since the norm for Italians are V6s and V8s.
It is not so easy to explain, however, why Ferrari has decided to design its hydrogen engine “upside down”, that is, literally, this engine is turned upside down. There are still not enough details known about this technology, so there is only some speculation regarding the reason for this strange way of arranging the mechanism.
The power of Ferrari and the sustainability of hydrogen
Currently, the main source of information we have about the Ferrari hydrogen engine is the patent that has been approved for it, which specifies the characteristics of the engine although we still do not know its assembly. Choosing an inline six-cylinder engine may have to do with the distribution of hydrogen tanks on the chassis.
This may also be the reason for turning all the engine parts upside down, since the fuel tanks of this type of racing car require a good amount of space. This space must be prepared for storage tanks with a capacity of about 200 bars of pressure to be able to preserve the hydrogen in a liquid state.
The era of the hydrogen engine
It is evident 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 the Alpine racing car that also has a hydrogen gas engine and a futuristic design.
