[Auto] Hydrogen is getting closer and closer to the 24 Hours of Le Mans

[FNX Magokiler]

And as part of this process, in 2018 he formed the company MissionH24 together with the hydrogen specialist GreenGT, which developed a prototype called LMPH2G with four electric motors. That car spun quite a bit at Spa and other circuits, demonstrating the capabilities of hydrogen in an endurance race. The successor to that model appeared in 2021 with the name H24 and with a new powertrain composed of two electric motors, finishing four races of the 2022 Le Mans Cup.

For the ACO, the H24 has been an important test bed. And according to the company, "the essential stages of research, development, verification and running-in tests" of the hydrogen cell system, tanks, electric motors and battery have already been completed. "The focus has been on performance to rival the other forms of power on the track," says the ACO.

But everything is moving forward, and now, Mission H24 presents a third hydrogen prototype, which has many features that we have seen in the new series of LMHs that compete in Le Mans.

The future racing car will be powered by a single electric motor, with a maximum power of 650 kW (872 Hp), compared to the 350 kW (470 Hp) of the H24, powered by a 400 kW battery, coupled to a battery of hydrogen. It will weigh about 1,300 kilos, this is 116 less than the H24, and will reach 320 km/h, with the stated objective of competing with the best cars in the nascent LMGT3 category.

 

 

The Symbio hydrogen cell will use the latest generation multi-cell technology and will produce 300 kW of maximum power, with an estimated power density 50% higher than that of the system tested on the H24. This efficiency will allow the car to have only two hydrogen tanks instead of the H24's three, improving weight distribution. Each tank will be able to store 3.9 kilos of hydrogen at 700 bars, with a total weight of about 100 kilos, and enough for 30 minutes of racing.

"Thanks to MissionH24, hydrogen technology has emerged in the world of racing. Now the time has come to demonstrate that this technology can offer an alternative to fossil fuels with the same efficiency and zero CO2 emissions. This new car will be the true symbol of the future of motorsport in line with the energy transition," says Bassel Aslan, technical director of GreenGT.

The next steps for the car, which will receive its official baptism in November, will continue in March with the completion of the new chassis, and then, starting in October, continue with tests of the power unit on a bench, before assembling the car and take it out on the track at the beginning of 2025.

For now, the only brand interested in competing in the hydrogen series is Toyota, which in 2023 already showed a prototype thinking about the 2026 series.

 

https://noticias.autocosmos.cl/2023/10/17/el-hidrogeno-se-acerca-cada-vez-mas-a-las-24-horas-de-le-mans