FORZE HYDROGEN RACING: Clean Speed: Forze’s Race to Reinvent Mobility
As the mightily impressive Forze team brings its hydrogen car to the starting line, Team Manager Ryan Zondag tells Energy Focus about years of hard work that will prove hydrogen as a viable sustainable alternative in the transportation sector.
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In the fiercely competitive world of motorsport, it’s easy to assume that innovation is reserved for multi-million-euro teams backed by legacy manufacturers. But at TU Delft in the Netherlands, a group of volunteer students is rewriting that narrative. Forze Hydrogen Racing, a student-run foundation from the university, is showing the world just how powerful passion, talent, and teamwork can be when combined with cutting-edge hydrogen technology.
With a team that rotates annually, Forze embodies continuous evolution. This year, Team 17 consists of 29 full-time and 22 part-time members, supported by a group of alumni who return as part of an advisory council. That brings the core group to 51 people consistently committed to building a race-ready, hydrogen-powered vehicle capable of standing toe-to-toe with petrol-fuelled competitors.
Despite their youth in comparison to professional teams, these students have proven that determination and technical prowess can yield impressive results. Their latest project, the Forze 9, is an ambitious step forward for the team and for hydrogen mobility more broadly. “The Forze 9 has been in the works since Team 13 where the initial drafting and designing of the car started,” says Team Manager Ryan Zondag.
“In engineering, we have several stages in developing any product, from the orientation stage where we do research around what we want to design, followed by modelling through CAD software with the mechanical side first and then the chassis and the skeleton to ensure accuracy,” he explains.
“We then have to model and design every single sub-component including things like aerodynamics where we need to optimise to reduce drag and improve air flow because we are working with a fuel cell car and we need enough airflow coming into the radiators.”
Instead of igniting fuel in a combustion chamber, hydrogen cars use a fuel cell that combines hydrogen with oxygen from the air in a chemical reaction that produces electricity, heat, and water vapour. That electricity powers electric motors to drive the wheels. Unlike combustion engines, there are no explosions, pistons, or exhaust gases—just clean energy and smooth propulsion
TECH IN MOTION
The Forze 9 is unlike anything else in student motorsport. Its carbon fibre monocoque can withstand impacts of up to 30g, and the car incorporates two hydrogen fuel cell stacks, an advanced cooling system, and a newly redesigned gearbox and motors. The development timeline spans several years, with successive student teams taking the baton and pushing the project closer to race-readiness.
“By the end of Team 14, we started to see the car take shape. With Team 15, we started to integrate the electrical part of the car with the motors which deliver power and speed for the car. Tuning those components has lasted some time, into Team 16, and we have now validated the motor,” says Zondag.
Even as progress accelerates, setbacks are inevitable. For Forze, a recent challenge was a major mechanical failure in the gearbox. “Unfortunately, we had to redesign and wait for new parts because they are large and complex mechanical parts,” Zondag admits. “While we waited, we focused on new areas where we could make progress.”
New motors and gear systems are now being tested, and the team has begun live runs at Zandvoort and on airport runways. But the most exciting technical leap is the integration of a second fuel cell stack. “Two stacks is unique and we have made a leap to get the second stack ready for the car after much testing,” says Zondag. “We are expecting it to progress smoothly and to integrate the second stack after the first race.”
Every sub-system is under the microscope. The team has re-engineered pressure systems, replaced tubing, and tuned the operating software that links man and machine. “In every department there have been modest improvements with the major improvements being in the gearbox and on the motors,” Zondag adds.
RACE READY
Forze’s ultimate goal remains unchanged: to race competitively. “We want to participate in a GT race and participate in the sports category, but we will be more than happy just to get the race participation stage because the complexity of this car is unparalleled in hydrogen racing,” says Zondag.
It’s an ambition supported by an impressive network of partners. The likes of EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies, Shell, Bevel Gears India, and SciMo have all lent their support, delivering everything from world calss hydrogen knowledge and rapid gear housing production to motor technology. “The help of Bevel Gears India, supplying new gears in partnership with us, and Shell, which manufactured the gearbox housing in a very quick time, and SciMo who helped with electric motors old and new, we feel like we are back on track,” Zondag says.
Beyond racing, Forze is also deeply involved in education and outreach. The team recently attended the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam and has plans to appear at the Dutch Grand Prix and other hydrogen-focused exhibitions. “We are also heavily involved in motorsports events such as the Professional Motor Sport World Expo in Cologne,” Zondag adds.
Forze sees itself as more than just a student team or an engineering project. It’s a platform for change. “Our mission is not just to promote hydrogen but to educate. We do this through high school and university tours, and we explain what can be achieved through engineering,” says Zondag. “We spread the word that there is a lot of positive change happening and we as individuals can make a difference in this sustainable transition.”
One of the remarkable aspects of Forze is its influence within the student community. The team’s recruitment process at TU Delft regularly draws strong interest, and many team members describe their year as the most intense and rewarding of their academic lives.
“When I saw the opportunity, I was sceptical. I didn’t expect people of this age, with these resources, to be able to create a project of such scope,” Zondag confesses. “After speaking to the team, I was immediately dead set on joining the team and being a part of the atmosphere.”
Working voluntarily, students receive no pay but gain invaluable experience. “A lot of people want to develop themselves and grow. It’s voluntary and is an investment in our own learning. You get back friendships and connections, and a vast amount of practical and technical knowledge,” says Zondag. “It’s a cliché, but I always say I have learned more here in 10 months than I did in my entire bachelor’s degree.”
HYDROGEN PROVEN
Forze Hydrogen Racing is more than just a collection of students tinkering in a garage. It is a genuine research and development engine, producing practical results and demonstrating the viability of hydrogen as a clean, safe, powerful fuel.
The team’s work showcases that hydrogen can be secure, reliable, and performant. With two stacks producing energy, advanced electric motors converting that energy into motion, and high-performance materials ensuring safety, the Forze 9 is a living case study in what hydrogen-powered transport can become.
“We have the ambition to always build on our success and to be more competitive in the following year, eventually racing against petrol cars,” says Zondag. “The second fuel cell and the front drive drain will allow us to apply more of the energy we gain while driving more efficiently and sustainably.”
It’s this blend of technological innovation, practical problem solving, and future-focused ambition that makes Forze Hydrogen Racing a beacon of what the energy transition can look like when led by the next generation.
In a world demanding answers to the climate crisis, the Forze team’s work sends a powerful message: Hydrogen works. It works on the test bench, it works on the track, and it could very well work on our roads sooner than we think.