The Minister of Industry discovers the zero emission hydrogen racing car!
MissionH24 made the news last night during the Le Mans 24 Hours centenary parade in Paris. On board of the electric-hydrogen prototype LMPH2G which closed the parade, the Minister of Industry, Roland Lescure, took his seat.
An exceptional moment last night in Paris for the MissionH24 program. A parade of vehicles symbolizing the past, present and future of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is celebrating its centenary this year, crossed Paris, escorted by the motorcyclists of the Republican Guard.
To close the parade, which started at 10:40 pm from the Place de la Concorde and stopped at the Hôtel de la Monnaie (La Monnaie de Paris is the creator of the trophy for the Centenary edition of the 24 Hours, which will be held on June 10 and 11), and then at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, the organizers had symbolically chosen one of the electric-hydrogen propulsion prototypes of the MissionH24 program. On board, alongside its driver Stéphane Richelmi, a prestigious passenger: the Minister of Industry, Roland Lescure, welcomed a few minutes before the departure of the convoy by Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest.
Passionate about technology (he is a polytechnician), and the bearer of France's technological and industrial strategy and projects, the Minister installed his 1.90 meter height in the car's cramped cockpit for this unprecedented drive of the MissionH24 electric-hydrogen prototype in the Parisian night. A few kilometers to discover this technology of energy transition and its pioneering program, supported by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and GreenGT, which prepares the arrival of hydrogen-powered vehicles at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the coming years within a category dedicated to them. At 11pm, the LMPH2G stopped under the glittering Eiffel Tower, allowing Roland Lescure to savor the experience he had just had.
The LMPH2G is on display until Sunday, February 5 at the Rétromobile show in Paris (Parc des Expositions de la Porte de Versailles, hall 2.2, stand C.056) along with the most iconic vehicles in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Roland Lescure, Minister Delegate of Industry:
"I have just crossed Paris, from the Concorde to the Eiffel Tower, one of the most beautiful cities in the world by day and by night, aboard one of the most beautiful cars in the world, a fantastic French racing car: a competition prototype designed and developed for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, whose only emission into the atmosphere during the few kilometers of our journey was limited to water, a few centiliters of water, absolutely pure, the result of the operation of the hydrogen fuel cell that powers the electric motors that propel the vehicle.
The parade organized this evening carried a strong symbolism, a parade of old vehicles, sometimes very old, the mythology of yesterday's race, and this link to the history of tomorrow, with this hydrogen prototype that makes the energy transition of mobility a tangible reality.
It's fantastic to think that, while driving, the only thing we're throwing away is water! About one glass per kilometer. Hydrogen is one of the keys to the energy transition and MissionH24 is an innovation challenge. As is often the case in the automotive world, everything starts with the race. And it's also a pleasure to see that the names of the partners accompanying the program are those of French or European companies on the body of this car. This pioneering program and this exceptional vehicle allow us to think about the future of our daily lives, in a logic of totally decarbonized energy transition. Innovation, research, mechanics, this program is a testimony to French excellence.
Congratulations MissionH24 and long live the 24 Hours of Le Mans!"
MissionH24 has launched its 2023 season
MissionH24, the collaborative program between the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and GreenGT to promote hydrogen in competition, started its 2023 season on the track of the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans. The LMPH2G, the first electric hydrogen prototype, was the official leading car and started the debates of a very animated race. The start of a promising 2023 season for MissionH24.
Final of the Le Mans Virtual Series, these 24 Hours of Le Mans 2023 have crowned this Sunday, January 15, teams and crews out of the ordinary, as gathering the best of sim racing and professional drivers. An event in esport and motorsport in which MissionH24, a competition program for sustainable mobility, participated with great interest.
Shortly before 2 pm (French time), on January 14, 2023, the LMPH2G set the pace for the 45 crews, representing 180 competitors from 41 countries, with a first line Porsche Coanda, followed by a second line Team Redline, leading this particular pack.
The 24 hours of competition were intense and lively. The LMPH2G took to the track during the neutralization phases of the race. On this occasion, the competitors as well as the television viewers were able to discover or deepen their knowledge on hydrogen competition, the strategy of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, in collaboration with GreenGT, for the creation of a category dedicated to hydrogen prototypes by Le Mans 2025. At a time when fossil fuels must be replaced, many manufacturers are interested and working on hydrogen mobility solutions.
Through MissionH24 and its involvement in the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and GreenGT wish to share and publicize their action in favor of the energy transition, a universal theme.
The victory of the 3rd edition of the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans went to the Oreca 07 #2 of the redline team, driven by Felipe Drugovich, Felix Rosenqvist, Luke Bennett and Chris Lulham.
Next meeting of the MissionH24 program with the public? A hint: look in your rearview mirror.
MissionH24 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual
To kick off the 2023 season, MissionH24 will take part in the Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans on January 14 and 15. The program, run in collaboration with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and GreenGT to promote hydrogen for zero-emission racing, is aimed at all motorsport enthusiasts, whether they are driving simulators or real prototypes.
The energy transition is everyone's business. The LMPH2G, MissionH24's first electric hydrogen racing car, will be the leading car in the grand finale of the Le Mans Virtual Series. Its mission will be to set the pace at the start of this extraordinary race, which will bring together some of the biggest stars of sim racing and motorsport, including two-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, Romain Grosjean and Gustavo Menezes. The race, which will start at 2pm (UK time), will be broadcasted all over Europe and especially on Eurosport Player. The complete program will be given soon.
Since the first edition of the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2020, the MissionH24 program has been deploying its strategy in a very concrete way. With the LMPH2G and the H24, the latest prototype developed by the H24Racing team, hydrogen has demonstrated its potential and reliability. A world first in motorsport, the H24, which competed in the Michelin Le Mans Cup in the innovative car category, took part in the 2022 races at Imola, Le Mans and Portimao. This complex new technology made it to the finish line every time. Quite a statistic! This performance is a world first: never before has a hydrogen car taken part in a competition at this level. In Le Mans, during the 24 Hours week, it set a record in the Hunaudières: 290.8 km/h for a hydrogen vehicle, which emits no CO2 at the exhaust, only water. This pioneering project is not science fiction, it is real. Stéphane Richelmi and Norman Nato are the two reference drivers.
During the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans 2023, MissionH24 will meet a new audience, a young generation concerned by the energy transition. An appointment not to be missed.