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!”