Following the latest meeting of the World Motor Sport Council, it was announced that in the context of hydrogen combustion applications that "development and promotion of solutions based on hydrogen stored in liquid form" would be prioritised over gas storage.
No reference was made to fuel cell applications, but this is not understood to indicate that the technology's potential is being discounted by the governing body.
An FIA statement said: "Given the [liquid] tank’s characteristics, lower volume and weight compared to compressed gas tanks, liquid storage form is better suited to the demanding environment of motorsport competitions, where optimisation is key.
"This also allows the powertrain layout to remain closer to the one of a conventional combustion-powered car compared with vehicles accommodating compressed gas tanks."
It added that "solutions utilising compressed gas storage type will be considered as interim solution, provided minimum safety and technical requirements are met".
Momentum has slowly gathered pace behind hydrogen as an alternative to electric power as a pathway for sustainable motorsport, because water is its only byproduct when produced by a process of electrolysis using renewable energy sources.
Source: Autosport