Oslo, 28 April: In a ceremony today the Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Mr Terje Riis-Johansen, unveiled the hydrogen driven car the DNV Fuel Fighter.

The DNV Fuel Fighter team at NTNU. [Photo: Gorm Kallestad/Scanpix]

Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Mr Terje Riis-Johansen, and NTNU student Stian Christensen discuss the DNV Fuel Fighter car at the launch April 28 2009.

The DNV Fuel Fighter car only weighs about 80 kg, and the students are aiming for a world record: to travel more than 1000 km on the equivalent of 1 liter of fuel.

The launch of DNV Fuel Fighter generated a lot of interest.

The car runs on a fuel cell which generates electricity for the electric engine.

The car, built by ten students from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway, will compete in the annual student competition Shell Eco-Marathon in Lausitz, Germany on 7-9 May 2009. The goal is to beat the current world record and win its category by driving at least 1000km on the energy equivalent of one litre of petrol. Det Norske Veritas (DNV) is the main sponsor of the car.

Investing in the future
The DNV sponsorship of the DNV Fuel Fighter is part of a comprehensive agreement that was signed between DNV and NTNU in 2008. In addition to signifying the importance DNV allocates to collaboration with students and universities, the sponsorship symbolises the company’s comprehensive efforts towards renewable energies and sustainable development.

“DNVs vision is to make a global impact for a sustainable future. The DNV Fuel Fighter is a symbol of our dual efforts towards developing technologies and solutions for the new energy economy, as well as our firm belief in the further investment in human capital. Competent people is the most important resources we have, and we appreciate the cooperation with the students and the universities, “- President and CEO of DNV, Henrik O. Madsen.

The race
Shell Eco-marathon is an annual student competition where the purpose is to design and build the world’s most fuel-efficient vehicle. There are two main categories for the race; Urban Concept and Futuristic Prototypes. The student team from NTNU will compete in the Urban Concept category. The European version of Shell Eco-Marathon celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

DNV on fuel cells and hydrogen
The main focus of DNVs activities related to hydrogen has been on the safe introduction of hydrogen as an energy carrier. Based on our hydrogen R&D activities over the last years, DNV now offer services related to hydrogen safety and approval and certifies hydrogen equipment and components.

DNV has taken the driver’s seat in developing fuel cell technology for ships by initiating a pilot research and development project – the FellowSHIP project.