The Ten Fastest Hydrogen Vehicles Ever Made

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With the recent launch of the hydrogen powered Toyota Mirai we've had hydrogen vehicles on our mind, so we compiled a list of the ten fastest ever made.


10.) BMW H2R

Speed: 187.62 MPH

Using a V12 from the 760i modified to run on hydrogen and a very slippery body with a drag coefficient of .21, this BMW car set nine FIA certified hydrogen combustion records:

"Flying-start kilometre: 11.99 s 187.62 mph

Flying-start mile: 19.91 s 181.85 mph

Standing-start 1/8 kilometre: 9.92 s 45.62 mph

Standing-start 1/4 kilometre: 14.93 s 60.62 mph

Standing-start 1/2 mile: 17.27 s 65.15 mph

Standing-start mile: 36.73 s 98.60 mph

Standing-start 10 miles: 221.05 s 163.81 mph

Standing-start kilometre: 26.56 s 84.72 mph

Standing-start 10 kilometres: 146.41 s 153.90 mph"

Suggested By: themanwithsauce, Photo Credit: BMW


9.) Rocket Powered Bicycle

Speed: 207 MPH

If you have an incredibly low sense of self preservation then boy do I have the bike for you! This bicycle ridden by insane frenchmen Francois Gissy hit 207 mph at Paul Ricard and pummeled a Ferrari 430 Scuderia in a straight line.

Suggested By: POD, Photo Credit: Exotic Thermo Engineering/Swiss Rocketman via Facebook

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8.) Ford Fusion 999

Speed: 207.297 MPH

It would be stretching it to call this a Fusion since it was built on a tubular chassis and weighs 6,700 lbs., but it is extremely fast. It uses hydrogen fuel cells to power a 770 hp electric motor that sends power to the rear wheels via a 6 speed manual. It was good for 207 MPH at Boneville.

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Suggested By: autojim, Photo Credit: Ford


7.) Buckeye Bullet 2

Speed: 302.887 MPH

Built by students at Ohio State University who clearly had never heard of beer pong, this vehicle holds the FIA record for a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. Does anyone else feel like their college education was a waste?

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Suggested By: Stig-a-saw-us-wrecks, Photo Credit: Buckeye Bullet


6.) Vanishing Point

Speed: 386 MPH, 3.58 sec 1/4 mile

Piloted by Englishman Sammy Miller, this hydrogen peroxide powered rocket dragster holds theofficial quarter mile record, but more on that later.

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Suggested By: Redbulldidlo, Photo Credit: vetechnet.com


5.) Kitty O'Neil's Rocket Powered Dragster

Speed: 412 MPH, 3.22 sec 1/4 mile

Unlike Sammy Miller's record, Kitty O'Neil's record in her rocket powered dragster isn't recognized by the FIA or NHRA but it still stands as the quickest 1/4 mile ever recorded. Wherever you stand on the official vs. unofficial debate, both are insanely fast.

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Suggested By: Auto-Tunned Eli Manning, Photo Credit: OMCA Collections


4.) X-43A

Speed: Mach 9.6 (~7,000 MPH)

This NASA aircraft never made it past the experimental stage, but not before setting a speed record for the fastest jet powered aircraft.

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Suggested By: Brian, The Life of, Photo Credit: NASA


3.) Space Shuttle

Speed: 17,000 MPH

Technically, as reader DennyCraneDennyCraneDennyCrane points out, this is a hybrid since it uses rockets to get it up in the air, but the main engines are powered by pure liquid hydrogen.

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Suggested By: DennyCraneDennyCraneDennyCrane, Photo Credit: Matthew Simantov


2.) Saturn V

Speed: 24,500 MPH

Like the Space Shuttle, the Saturn V is a hybrid and a damn fast one too.

Suggested By: Arch Duke Maxyenko, SHAZAM!, Photo Credit: NASA


1.) Helios

Speed: 157,087 MPH

Since the two Helios probes are in orbit around the sun, which is made of hydrogen, they technically are the fastest hydrogen powered vehicles ever made.

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Suggested By: DennyCraneDennyCraneDennyCrane, Photo Credit: NASA

Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!

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