Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus is serious about competing in the Baja 1000 with a hydrogen-powered version of the Boot. It unveiled the updated off-roader that it plans to enter in the event, it again challenged Tesla to a race and it cast doubts about electric pickup trucks.
Presented as "the beginning of the future of transportation," the Hydrogen Boot features a long list of powertrain-specific visual changes. Most of the body panels in front of the windshield have been removed and replaced by a spare wheel strapped to a tubular structure. The cab's distinctive shape hasn't changed much, but the rear end features huge air intakes, fans and a massive hydrogen storage tank.
Glickenhaus published an amusing press release to explain the thinking behind the truck. The company opined that electric powertrains are better suited to "small things" like cell phones, bicycles, scooters and small passenger cars; in contrast, it said that fuel cells work better for bigger vehicles, partly due to reasons related to energy density and partly because refilling a hydrogen tank takes less time than charging a battery pack. Then, the gloves came off: "There is not a battery-electric vehicle in the world that can successfully run the Baja 1000."
That line is seemingly aimed at Tesla. Glickenhaus challenged the California-based company to a zero-emissions off-road showdown in 2020, and Elon Musk has yet to accept the duel. The Hydrogen Boot will compete in the Baja 1000 regardless of whether there's a Cybertruck on the starting grid, and Glickenhaus plans to create its own fueling infrastructure from scratch in order to complete the race.
Powertrain details haven't been released yet, but an interesting point is that the Boot will rely on cryogenic hydrogen for power; that means it's stored in liquefied form at -423 degrees Fahrenheit (it boils above that). This solution presents several challenges: Glickenhaus admitted that it hasn't been able to source cryogenic hydrogen to test the drivetrain yet. Only about four labs are equipped to test at cryogenic hydrogen temperatures in the United States, and there are no existing on-board tanks that meets the team's needs. Still, it's pressing on.
Looking ahead, Glickenhaus plans to funnel the lessons learned while racing into a street-legal off-roader that it can sell to the public. Building an electric version of the Boot would likely be a simpler way to complete the Baja 1000 with zero local emissions, but the firm notes that the technology has several shortcomings. It pointed out that the Ford F-150 Lightning weighs about 1,000 pounds more than the gasoline-powered model, so its payload and towing capacities take a substantial hit. Long charging times remain an issue, especially when we're talking about huge battery packs, while cold temperatures and/or towing take a significant toll on an EV's maximum driving range.
"When a fleet considers the loss of cargo and towing capacity and the increased vehicle downtime from charging, it would need 1.5 or two battery-electric trucks to replace one gasoline- or diesel-powered pickup," the company concluded. That's why it's investing in hydrogen.
Glickenhaus also pointed out the obvious: a refundable $100 deposit for, say, a Chevrolet Silverado EV is not an order, let alone a sale.
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