AVL RACETECH, the motorsport department of AVL, presents the prototype of an innovative H2 internal combustion engine. The power unit is a compact, hydrogen-powered 2-liter turbo engine, with intelligent water injection that enables it to achieve a totally new performance level. The prototype is the first racing engine that AVL RACETECH is developing and building in-house.
Graz, Austria, November 2022: Combining hydrogen and motorsport is familiar ground for AVL. With the newly presented propulsion system powered by hydrogen alone, which makes it zero carbon, AVL RACETECH is starting a new chapter.
Unlike other H2 internal combustion engines, which are usually operated with a high level of excess air (lean-burn), meaning that they generate comparatively less performance, AVL RACETECH’s new racing engine with only slight lean-burn can generate a performance level of around 150 kW per liter. This puts the hydrogen-powered 2-liter turbo engine in the same range as the close-to-production racing classes of today.
To achieve this high specific performance, AVL RACETECH transferred the principle of water injection to the hydrogen engine. An injector shoots additional water into the intake air of the engine, which increases the boost pressure. In addition, the evaporating liquid has a strong cooling effect in the combustion chamber. Designing the necessary injectors and valves requires precise knowledge of the overall system behavior with all air, fuel, and exhaust gas flows – for which AVL uses its tried and tested simulation models and 3D flow calculations. This also ensures that the mechanical limits of the engine are not exceeded and the high safety standards in motorsport are met.
Project Manager Paul Kapus, Manager Development Spark Ignited Engines & Concept Cars: “Realizing performance values at motorsport level with a hydrogen internal combustion engine is an incredibly complex technical challenge. But our prototype proves it can be done. The basic technology of a gasoline engine and a hydrogen combustion engine is very similar – in contrast with fuel cell technology. Which is why our concept is also a very good fit for the economical approach of customer racing, since the adaptations required are very straightforward.”
Ellen Lohr, Director Motorsport AVL: “We are forerunners in many aspects of motorsport with AVL RACETECH, and have now made the decision to become leaders in the area of hydrogen combustion engines as well. Which is why we are building our own racing engine for the first time in the more than 20-year history of the AVL motorsport department. We expect to be able to present this hydrogen engine in spring 2023, and are confident that hydrogen combustion technology will play a significant role in achieving a zero carbon future in motorsport.”
Our heart beats for motorsport. We have enjoyed success in motor racing for more than 20 years, both in the limelight and behind the scenes. We develop, test, simulate and fabricate for manufacturers, organizers, teams and drivers - in 17 racing series around the world. Whether Formula 1, NASCAR or MotoGP: As a key supplier, we put winning teams on pole position technologically. We transfer our passion for racing and the innovation we show in motorsport to the streets. We leverage our know-how to develop solutions for the future of mobility. After all, that heartbeat unites us since centuries.
As well as strong companies and professional motorsport teams, we also work with promising and talented youngsters, who we support through our ambassador program – from preparing them for races in our simulator to support them with our race engineers at the track.
The expansion of our partnership with the Green Future Project will do more than just compensate for the complete CO2 footprint of the AVL RACETECH brand ambassadors over the course of the 2022 racing season. In addition to permanently protecting the acquired rainforest areas to preserve biodiversity, our technologies also make an important contribution to environmentally-friendly mobility. Our involvement in the program is documented in the dashboard below.