(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the complaints that many have with regard to vehicles powered by alternative energy is the fact that they don't really have a lot of speed. However, this does not necessarily have to be the case. Last week, a group of engineering students set a land speed record for a vehicle powered by hydrogen fuels cells. The car that was able to break 300 mph is the Buckeye Bullet 2.
The speed test took place at the Bonneville Speedway at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. This is a location often used to test land speeds. This car is the first hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicle to break the 300 mph mark. (Note: The streamliner that Jesse James used to make land speed history did not go the entire distance of the Flying Kilometer event. And it didn't break 200 mph.) In order to receive a certification of a record, a vehicle must sustain speeds for more than a mile, two times within an hour. The Buckeye Bullet 2 managed this feat.
Ohio State University is no stranger to setting land speed records with alternative energy vehicles. OSU's original Buckeye Bullet set the record as the first electric vehicle to go 300 mph. Of course, there is a difference between building a car for speed, and building one that provides sustained speed and power over a longer distance. The good news, though, is that commuter cars don't need to go 300 mph. The fact that it is possible could lead to more interest in all-electric and hydrogen-fueled vehicles in the future.
© 2009 PhysOrg.com
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