Team Zefiro Wins Best New Entrant at the 42nd VFS Student Design Competition
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Team Zefiro Wins Best New Entrant at the 42nd VFS Student Design Competition

Team Zefiro from Politecnico di Torino wins the Graduate Best New Entrant at the 42nd Airbus VFS Student Design Competition with RED Ferraris, a zero-emission hydrogen-electric VTOL aircraft.

A Historic Victory for Team Zefiro

Team Zefiro from the Polytechnic University of Turin won the Best New Entrant award in the Graduate category at the 42nd Annual Student Design Competition of the Vertical Flight Society (VFS), sponsored by Airbus.

"Every great breakthrough starts with someone brave enough to dream differently."

This is an extraordinary recognition for a team participating in this international competition for the first time, which annually brings together the best university aerospace engineering teams from around the world.

RED Ferraris: the aircraft that won over the jury

The project presented by Team Zefiro is called the RED Ferraris, a hydrogen-electric powered VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft designed to transport two people completely emission-free.

The heart of the system is a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell powered by high-pressure hydrogen gas (up to 700 bar), capable of delivering a peak power of 1868 kW and a continuous power of 1400 kW, all contained in an aircraft with a maximum take-off weight (MTOM) of 2200 kg.

Render of RED Ferraris

Render of RED Ferraris

Engineering challenges faced

Team Zefiro has developed innovative solutions on multiple fronts:

  • Distributed propulsion with 10 ducted propellers, with variable-pitch blades optimized using Bayesian optimization algorithms
  • 705 kJ supercapacitor to manage power peaks during takeoff and transition, reducing the weight of the fuel cell system by 40%.
  • Innovative heat exchanger integrated into the fuselage, with passive propulsion and reduced weight.
  • T800 carbon fiber wing box to ensure structural stiffness with minimal weight. Minimum
  • Multidisciplinary optimization (MDO) that integrated aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, and energy management

    • The pioneering mission

    The aircraft was designed to complete a 60 km mission starting from the Wright Brothers National Memorial in North Carolina, with a maximized loitering phase on the Alligator River—all in all-electric, zero-emission mode.

    A milestone that looks to the future

    This award represents not only recognition of the work accomplished, but also the starting point for new challenges. Team Zefiro continues to grow, bringing the engineering excellence of the Polytechnic University of Turin to the international stage.