Pininfarina H2 Speed-Supercar

Pininfarina H2 Speed concept is the first fuel cell supercar

Pininfarina, the Italian design and engineering firm has debuted its own radical hydrogen-fuel cell supercar concept at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Dubbed the H2 Speed, the combined power output from its two electric motors is around 370 kW (500 hp) – produced at a dizzying 13,000 rpm.

Capable of sprinting to 100 km/h (62 mph) in around 3.4 seconds, and completing a 400 m (1/4 mile) standing start in 11 seconds, the 1,420 kg (3,130 lb) H2 Speed also has a claimed top speed of some 300 km/h (186 mph). Declared by the creators to be the world's first hydrogen, high-performance car (the yet-to-be-proven Quanta e not withstanding), the H2 Speed is propelled by a two-motor drive train and 210 kW twin-stack proton exchange membrane fuel cells designed and developed outside of Pininfarina by GreenGT, a Franco-Swiss company that has been in the sustainable propulsion business since 2008.

Pininfarina H2 Speed

Replete with a carbon fiber chassis, front and rear wishbones, push rod suspension, specially-cast OZ Racing wheels (11x19-inch front, 12x20-inch rear), and carbon brakes, the H2 Speed is certainly set up to handle and stop with aplomb, whilst the direct (1:6.3 ratio) transmission to the rear wheels means that there is no clutch, no differential, and no need to shift any gears, leaving the driver to concentrate solely on taking the right lines. Long and low – 4.7 m (15.4 ft) long, 1.087 m (42.7 in) high, and 2.0m (6.5 ft) wide – with form following function, the design of the body starts with the placement of 6.1 kg (13.4 lb) capacity hydrogen fuel tanks either side of the cabin (and refillable from empty in under three minutes according to Pininfarina) which are faired-in and provide a channel for airflow to the rear of the vehicle. Similarly, a raft of triangular-shaped ducts direct the air around and through the body for maximum downforce and aerodynamic stability. At the entry of two to these channels, two radiators are located laterally to cool the fuel cell block, whilst a central front-mounted duct pushes air along the sides of the cabin and into the engine compartment for cooling.

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