The big mancelle week has just come to a close, with an intense and breathtaking edition right up to the final laps. Despite the tricky weather, spectators enjoyed the show on track. In the Hydrogen Village, they were able to familiarize themselves with the future of endurance racing: hydrogen. This technology, unprecedented in motorsport, is already a reality.
The 2024 edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours was a landmark for hydrogen, a strategy pursued by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest in collaboration with H24Project to decarbonize motor racing and mobility in general. In the village dedicated to this technology, a veritable H2 paddock was created, with TotalEnergies’ mobile H2 station at its heart.
For the first time, H2 prototypes were refuelled in public.
The H24 from MissionH24, the Alpenglow Hy4 from Alpine, the Ligier Bosch JS2 RH2 and the Foenix from GCK subsidiary Solution F were all able to take to the legendary Sarthe circuit. Over a distance of more than 13 kilometers, the Zero CO2 Emission competition presented itself to the audience. A special passenger Zinédine Zidane took part in this demonstration with Alpine, in the Alpenglow Hy4. Enthusiastically, the “golden ball” also posed in front of the H24, on the grid, a few minutes before the start.
In the Hydrogen Village, more than 20 exhibitors shared their research and knowledge on the subject with the public.
ENSOSP, SDIS72, Ariane Group, Symbio, OPmobility surrounded the new H24EVO. The University of Le Mans, France Hydrogène, Maison de l’Europe and Technifutur were all on hand to demonstrate the potential of hydrogen, as were Discoverhy, the first H2 racing car for children, and Horizon Educational. Toyota developed its hydrogen strategy. There’s nothing like a film to make you realize…