The Hydrogen Peroxide Powered Race Car

In brief: Auto racing has long been the proving ground for new vehicle technologies and the current trend towards alternative fuels is showing some great ideas.

Vehicle in the news

The hydrogen peroxide fuel-cell dragster demonstrates the clean speed of H202 rocket propulsion.

The word

It's not clear who the driver or owner of this race car is, but it demonstrates the power of hydrogen peroxide fuel cell rockets.

Hydrogen peroxide (H202) in fuel grade is 90% pure (or better). It's a caustic liquid, of course, but is not flammable or explosive like many other fuels.

When put through the catalyst of a fuel cell, usually platinum or silver, the H202 is broken in a chemical reaction, emitting water and oxygen. This reaction builds pressure, which is jetted out to create propulsion.

H202 has been used to propel vehicles since World War I, including NASA rockets, jetpacks, airplanes, and now dragsters.

Here's video of the power of H202 in action:

And so ...

While not likely a fuel to power the everyday vehicles of tomorrow (at least, not with current tech), hydrogen peroxide makes for great racing.

Photo credits: Hydrogen Cars Now

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