First test drive with new fuel cell vehicle

This day was eagerly awaited: The student team Lausitz Dynamics from BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg tested its newly revised fuel cell-powered energy-saving vehicle on the race track for the first time. The test drive took place on 10 April 2025 at the DEKRA Lausitzring in Klettwitz and was a big step for the entire team.

The vehicle, which bears the name Hydragen, uses a fuel cell that converts hydrogen into electrical energy. This powers the engine - environmentally friendly, quiet and, above all, efficient. "The first test drive was basically about seeing whether everything worked as planned," explains one team member. The student team collected a lot of valuable data and was able to make minor improvements directly on site.

With the test day, the Lausitz Dynamics team is now a big step closer to successfully participating in the Shell Eco-marathon, one of the world's largest energy efficiency competitions, which will take place in neighbouring Poland on the Silesia Ring in Kamień Śląski in June this year. There, it will compete with the Hydragen against teams from all over Europe. The aim: to drive as energy-efficiently as possible.

The next few weeks will now be all about optimisation in order to rectify faults and further minimise the vehicle's consumption. A lot of motivation and ambition are needed to win the competition in the end or to place as far ahead as possible. To achieve this, four more test drives are planned in the coming weeks.

Special thanks to DEKRA and the town of Senftenberg

Special thanks go to DEKRA, which once again made its test track available. Without this help, the first successful test drive would not have been possible.
At the same time, the team is delighted to have signed a sponsorship agreement with the town of Senftenberg in the past few days, which was signed by the mayor Andreas Pfeiffer and the Vice President for Research and Transfer at BTU Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Hübner. The considerable support from the city of Senftenberg enables the team to finance further optimisations and the trip to the competition.
Further supporters are very welcome.
Anyone who would like to experience the vehicle and the Lausitz Dynamics team live is cordially invited to the Senftenberg Open Day on Saturday, 24 May 2025. Alongside many other highlights on the BTU campus in Campus Senftenberg, you will be able to see the Hydragen up close, ask questions and talk to the team members.

Further information: https: //www.b-tu.de/lausitz-dynamics

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The student BTU team Lausitz Dynamics at the DEKRA Lausitzring (Photo: BTU, Lausitz Dynamics).
The Hydragen energy-saving vehicle on the test track (Photo: BTU, Lausitz Dynamics).
Driver in the vehicle with the soft top removed. Photo: BTU, Team Lausitz Dynamics