A short statement from ACO President Pierre Fillon and FIA Endurance Commission President Richard Mille confirmed that future regulations for hydrogen automobiles at the 24 Hours of Le Mans will now incorporate hydrogen combustion technologies, as effectively as retaining the hydrogen fuel cell selection. tech.
The ACO has been at the forefront of efforts to introduce hydrogen as a fuel supply in sports considering that 2018 and considering that then there have been progressive measures in improvement with each other with their technologies partners on demonstration projects, when continuing dialogue with interested makers.
No facts have however been offered on the manufacturer’s interest, but current media reports in France appear to confirm that Hyundai’s resurgent interest in making fuel cell automobiles in the coming years is nonetheless alive, when sources close to Toyota recommend to DSC that their existing technologies the hydrogen-burning demonstrator racer marks an early stage in the improvement of that route to much more capable racing (and road) machines.
Presently the ACO says that they are, “in close collaboration with the FIA, functioning to produce a class for hydrogen prototypes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans more than the subsequent couple of years.”
Their continued improvement is also on MissionH24, a joint venture involving ACO and GreenGT, which conducts investigation and improvement in regions such as security, overall performance and fueling.
Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: Given that 2018, the hydrogen ecosystem has evolved enormously. We understand by undertaking. We are exploring the possibilities. And that is specifically the aim we set ourselves 5 years ago when we launched MissionH24. The fuel cell was initially selected for its prospective, which is nonetheless relevant. These days, a hydrogen engine with internal combustion is presented as a possibility for makers. The regulations of the 24 Hours of Le Mans have generally advocated freedom and diversity. As such, we are officially announcing that each technologies, fuel cells and hydrogen internal combustion engine, will be accepted and authorized for makers wishing to enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the hydrogen category. I would like to highlight the tremendous perform carried out by MissionH24, with each other with ACO and FIA. We are all conscious of the challenges facing the future of motorsport, as effectively as the want to decarbonise mobility, and we are tackling them with each other.
Richard Mille, President of the FIA Endurance Commission: Hydrogen as an power supply has however to be totally explored in motorsport. Nevertheless, offered the truth that it presents a variety of solutions in terms of storage kinds and powertrains, it tends to make for a extremely fascinating prospect. The application of sustainable power sources in motorsport competitors is a single of the crucial objectives of the FIA and portion of our extended-term road map. The crucial is to discover the very best options for diverse motorsport disciplines. Provided the nature of endurance racing, hydrogen is a single of the most appropriate solutions, hence the FIA fully supports the ACO’s MissionH24 project. We perform with them, sharing our expertise and knowledge, to introduce a new supply of power to endurance racing.