Aggressive and refined lines, a futuristic look with a narrow and closed cockpit which seems to have been borrowed from a fighter plane with, at the rear, a refined and low fin: the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, organizer of the 24 Heures du Mans, unveiled this Wednesday in Paris the first very promising images of the new electric and hydrogen prototype. Her name ? He doesn’t have one at the moment. Mission H24, the program in charge of the development of this car which will contribute to decarbonizing motor racing, will name it on November 13 after collecting suggestions from fans on social networks.
This prototype is not the first to leave the Mission H24 offices. Jean-Michel Bouresche’s men, at the head of the project, had already launched the LMPH2G (in 2018) and the H24 (in 2020) on the track. But it will undoubtedly be the most successful with the integration of new, more efficient elements: a new generation hydrogen battery system with a maximum net power of 300 kW, two tanks carrying 7.8 kg of hydrogen allowing autonomy during racing of around 30 minutes, an electric motor (compared to two in the H24) which powers the two rear wheels as well as a high-performance 80 kg lithium battery which has been reduced by 12 kg.
But the prototype whose approximate weight is already known (1300 kg, a gain of 150 kg compared to the H24) and which should be able to reach 320 km/h on the clock thanks to better aerodynamics (i.e. 25 km/h more than the previous prototype recorded at 294 km/h on the Mulsanne straight) will not roll straight away. The design, very successful and which “should not move much” according to the Mission H24 teams, will be frozen in March 2024 and the model finalized three months later. The engine will be assembled in October 2024 and will be subjected to the test bench immediately. The first turns of the wheel will take place in January 2025.
“The car is not intended to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, we are not a major manufacturer. We want this racing car to fight with the GT3s in the Michelin Le Mans Cup or the European Le Mans Series but it will not have the performance or the autonomy to allow it to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” explains Pierre Fillon, the president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.
With this ambitious program, the ACO’s objective is twofold: firstly to show that hydrogen is a credible solution for the future in terms of sporting competition but also mobility for ordinary people and to create on the horizon 2026 a category reserved for hydrogen. The new generation cars will have to be able to compete with the current technologies of the hybrid Hypercars of the World Endurance Championship which use 100% renewable fuel from the recycling of residual biomass from wine growing. “This remains a technology that is a little more expensive than the current one, but by 2030, if we have four hydrogen manufacturers, it will already be a good result,” explains Pierre Fillon. Toyota could be the only one to be involved in 2026 but there is another manufacturer which is also working on the file… But the idea is indeed that Toyota will fight from 2026 or 2027 for victory.