Anaheim, California (March 7th, 2023): A group of Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP) students visited their sponsor, Fire & Gas Detection Technologies (FGD) in Anaheim, California, to thank them for supporting their team.

Josh Kelley, Davis Cone, Ryder Stevens, and Grant Trazo – all H2GP students in California – thanked Iain Evans, Olden Carr and Juan Bonilla of FGD for providing the opportunity to learn about renewable energy and hydrogen fuel cells.

“It’s a great program as far as engineering is concerned” said Olden Carr, President of Fire & Gas Detection Technologies . “I used to be an engineer with cars and motors. It’s one thing to do all the engineering things, but to really get a sense of the science behind it is where H2GP shines”. Addressing the California H2GP racers, Olden gave some advice: “My advice to you: you seem like you have a passion for this, you guys are engineers already, a college degree is just to solidify that. Follow your passion and the sky is the limit”.

Olden continued: “The Hydrogen Grand Prix warms you into the idea of engineering. If you go in there cold, everything seems foreign. These calculations, these numbers, all of these things are theories. With H2GP, you guys actually have to have a practical application. It’s a real-world application that you guys are working with. I can see you all are already engineers”.

Iain Evans, Vice President of Sales at FTG, spoke of the importance of sponsoring renewable energy education programs like H2GP: “The industry that we’re in, manufacturing flame detection systems that can be installed on offshore platforms and refineries, on chemical plants, hydrogen has always been there as a fuel in some way. The growth in fuel cell technologies, the use of hydrogen in busses and trucks… it’s moving forward so fast. Everybody is looking for alternative fuels, and hydrogen is that alternative”.

The Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix is a renewable energy education program that challenges students aged 14+ to design, engineer and eventually race their very own hydrogen fuel cell-powered 1:10 scale car. In designing and constructing their car, students not only pick up traditional science and engineering skills, but must learn to apply creativity, teamwork and practical problem-solving skills to emerge victorious in the races. In this way H2GP moves beyond teaching traditional STEM skills and provides unique STEAM education opportunities for High School students.

“The Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix really helps you with career skills” said Ryder Stevens, a current H2GP student. “It provides you with the opportunity to grow, you get more innovative. Especially if you want to go into an engineering or science-related field, you can learn a lot from this”.

Josh Kelley, another California H2GP student, emphasizes the creative aspect of the program: “Going back to the creative aspect, everyone starts with the same car. It’s fascinating and fun to see the different solutions people come up with to get their cars going faster and with more efficiency”.

Mr. Cone, a classroom teacher and mentor behind the program, also gave his thoughts on the uniqueness of the H2GP program: “In the classroom, you can have team projects and you can work through things, but this is real-world engineering. You have to make calls on the fly. Having to work together as a team during the races, to really understand and communicate, is an important aspect of the program. Overall this is a fantastic program. Everyone I tell, they say “wow, I never had that as a kid. I can’t believe kids these days have that opportunity”.

20 teams from across California have qualified for the H2GP State Final, which will be held at the Orange County Fairgrounds on April 22nd, 2023.