Desert Domination by Hydrogen: HySE Buggy Secures 2nd Place in Dakar 2025 Rally
**HySE Hydrogen Engine Buggy Achieves Second Place in Dakar 2025**
The HySE hydrogen engine buggy, a collaborative project by Toyota, Kawasaki Motors, Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha Motor, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Denso, has made a significant impact in the world of motorsport by finishing second in its class at the grueling Dakar Rally 2025. Despite facing several technical challenges, the team's determination and innovative solutions have led to a promising podium finish.
Currently, the buggy is operational and competitive, having demonstrated its resilience in a demanding desert environment. Powered by a hydrogen engine and high-pressure tanks, the vehicle is a testament to the potential of clean energy in motorsport. However, the team has acknowledged the need for improvements to address key technical issues.
One of the main challenges faced during the race was the lack of an automatic system to compensate for atmospheric pressure changes at higher altitudes. This resulted in engine damage during pre-race tests, necessitating manual adjustments during the event. To overcome this, the team is developing an automatic control system to adjust hydrogen injection based on atmospheric pressure changes, ensuring safer and more reliable engine performance.
Another hurdle was the temperature drops in the hydrogen tanks, which triggered a torque limit safety mechanism, limiting continuous high power output to about ten minutes. This strategic limitation is a significant challenge in endurance racing. To address this, the team is focusing on improving hydrogen tank thermal management to reduce or prevent temperature drops, allowing longer sustained high power output.
Fuel efficiency and range remain critical factors in race strategy. The team is working on enhancements in this area, possibly through engine tuning or lightweight materials, to better suit the long and demanding stages of the Dakar Rally.
Looking ahead, the HySE team is focused on overcoming these technical hurdles to improve performance and reliability in future competitions. They aim to refine the engine control systems, enhance thermal management of fuel storage, and optimise overall vehicle efficiency and durability for extreme rally conditions.
The team is eyeing further technical advances and is considering a two-year plan to upgrade both hardware and software before returning to compete in Dakar. The hydrogen-powered buggy emitted less hydrogen in its exhaust gases while idling this year, improving safety, and its top speed in each stage rose by some 20 km/h.
In conclusion, the HySE buggy project is progressing well, with a promising race result at Dakar 2025, but it continues to pursue crucial technical advancements to expand the capability and competitiveness of hydrogen-powered racing vehicles. The next iterations will likely incorporate smarter injection controls and improved hydrogen tank systems to address the current race constraints.
- The HySE team plans to refine their engine control systems to develop an automatic system that adjusts hydrogen injection based on atmospheric pressure changes, addressing the challenge experienced during the Dakar Rally 2025.
- To solve the issue of hydrogen tank temperature drops, which activated a torque limit safety mechanism, the HySE team is concentrating on improving hydrogen tank thermal management, aiming to allow longer sustained high power output.
- Fuel efficiency and range are key factors in the race strategy for the HySE team, who are working on enhancements through engine tuning or lightweight materials to better suit the long and demanding stages of the Dakar Rally.
- In the future, the HySE team is considering a two-year plan to upgrade both hardware and software before returning to compete in Dakar, with the goal of incorporating smarter injection controls and improved hydrogen tank systems to address the current race constraints.
The team's focus on technological advancements within the environmental-science and renewable-energy sectors, particularly in the areas of finance and technology, will contribute to the overall efficiency and performance of the hydrogen-powered buggy, benefiting the industry and the environment.
