March 29th, 2023 (Los Angles, CA): Students from across California will mark Earth Day in dramatic fashion by competing in the annual California Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP) State Final, sponsored by Toyota Mirai. Held this year at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Cosa Mesta, the H2GP California Final brings together the top 20 teams from across the state for a chance to drive 1:10 scale remote-controlled fuel cell electric vehicles cars powered by green hydrogen over a 4-hour endurance race.
The top three schools at this year's State Final will be invited to compete in the H2GP World Final, scheduled for September.
A total of 87 teams competed in the Northern and Southern California Regional Qualifiers this year. Students were tasked with designing, engineering, and constructing their fuel cell electric cars – before putting these to the test for a chance to compete in the State Final.
“We’re incredibly proud of all the teams taking part in the California State Final on Earth Day”, said Kamil Jelinek, CEO of Horizon Educational. “Developing the world’s next generation of renewable energy leaders starts in local schools. Through providing students with the immersive, practical and fun experience of designing, constructing and racing their own hydrogen-powered vehicles, the H2GP initiative aims to prepare California’s future workforce for tomorrow’s energy economy”.
“We’ve seen two incredibly close races to qualify the top twenty teams in California for the State Finals this year” said Nicola Weiss, Director of H2GP USA. “These students have shown us how collaboration, problem-solving, and engineering innovation can take these cars to the next level. These students are our future.”
The H2GP initiative is a global school-based science and engineering program run by Horizon Educational, providing hands-on experience designing, engineering and racing radio-controlled fuel cell electric vehicles powered by hydrogen. Students taking part gain employable skills in science and technology while also developing competence in critical thinking, creativity and teamwork.
