Turkish students at Sakarya University have developed the SAHIMO hydrogen car that gets approximately 340 miles per liter (and for those counting a liter is approximately 1/4 of a gallon, so you can do the math).
The group that developed the SAHIMO hydrogen car is the Sakarya University Advanced Technologies Implementation Group (SAITEM), comprised mostly of students who do the technical and mechanical work. Other parts of this same group look for sponsorships and do press promotion.
The SAHIMO hydrogen car took third place in the 2009 European Shell Eco Marathon. In the past, I’ve talked about the 2007 and 2009 U. S. Shell Eco Marathons where hydrogen cars also had a good showing.
Like the other vehicles that compete in these eco marathons, besides the power source, lightweight construction of the cars is the most important factor. SAHIMO hydrogen car is made up of 90-percent carbon fiber helping it to be a very light vehicle.
As the U. S. hydrogen car program falters because of governmental budget cuts it’s good to see European nations charging full steam ahead with vehicles that emit only steam. As they say, when in Turkey do as the Turks do or something along those lines.