Australian students take on the world’s largest hydrogen competition in California

Fairholme College's hydrogen-powered car faced serious competition at the H2GP Pro World Finals, going up against other high-performing vehicles from schools around the world including Singapore, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, New Zealand, France, Chile, Slovakia and England. 

And with complications with the vehicles' steering and fuel cell in the first lap of the race threatening to knock them out early in the competition, the pressure was on.

Undeterred, the girls quickly jumped into action; testing their resilience, agility and problem-solving skills (plus the durability of a few zip ties!). Their persistence paid off - after an hour and a half, the team managed to get H2Fxlcon back on track, clocking a total of 421 laps during the 6-hour endurance race and placing 13^th overall. An incredible achievement!

While the Fairholme team wasn’t able to take home a win, the girls did receive an award for the best promotion of their car and team. Delivering a captivating three-minute oral presentation before their race (including a promotional video and handing out pamphlets), the students explained the choice of their vehicle name ‘H2Fxlcon’ (X representing both an unknown variable in mathematics and the female double X chromosomes, and falcons for their speed), the challenges faced since receiving their STEM kits in early 2024, the specific design modifications they chose for their car, and their experiences testing, refining and practicing for the race.

As one of only three all-girl teams in this year’s H2GP Grand Prix Finals, their participation is also a big win for the representation of females in a traditionally male-dominated field, and an inspiration for girls who are interested in pursuing a career in STEM. 

Fairholme College even had some air time on FOX 11 News, one of America's largest owned-and-operated network broadcast groups! Check out the segment here.

When asked about the positive outcomes from the process, Andy Cockerill, Fairholme’s Teacher of Sciences, stated that "every student who participated was significantly more interested in engineering and the interesting applications of science subjects”. He also observed increased interest in STEM careers from fellow Fairholme students since the program started.

With enrolment of females in STEM university courses remaining steady at 37% since 2020 in Australia, any encouragement for girls to balance the representation within STEM fields is something Brunel's Regional Director ANZ Querida Swinnerton is excited about:

"Brunel is incredibly proud to have supported the next generation of women in their exploration of the potential of science, engineering and technology.

To qualify for the world finals is no easy feat, and for the Fairholme team to place above half of the other teams is nothing short of remarkable. Even when faced with tough competition and an unexpected technical obstacle at the start, the confidence, agility and skills the girls have demonstrated is impressive - and a testament to the boundless potential of females."

Congratulations once again, Team Fairholme!