Tuesday, 5 February 2019

The ACO and GreenGT launch the creation of the H24Racing team

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest and GreenGT are delighted to announce the creation of H24Racing team, as part of MissionH24.  H24Racing is the brainchild of GreenGT and the ACO, the partners behind MissionH24, the project to race a hydrogen-electric prototype which will lead the way to the mobility of the future.


In 2024, a new class of hydrogen-powered cars will compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside combustion engine cars. Work is already under way at the ACO to introduce the exciting all-new class of cars in top-level endurance racing. Details will be revealed in due course. Once again, the ACO proves that Endurance is a formidable testing ground for sustainable development.

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: 
"A new team spells excitement, enthusiasm, expectancy and promise. I have to admit a sense of fulfilment in announcing the arrival of H24Racing. With this team, we are making our project real. GreenGT’s accomplishments in research, development and implementation in fuel cell technology are unprecedented. Last September, the ACO and GreenGT launched MissionH24, to promote hydrogen power and zero-emission solutions and draw attention to how fast this energy is progressing. The aura of Le Mans will help raise the profile of the technology. 

H24Racing is the result of the ACO-GreenGT partnership. With this team, our joint venture becomes a truly sporting endeavour with a tangible demonstration of our intentions. We’ll be putting our new technology to the test, on track, pitting it against other fuels and power trains. The realisation that 2024 is just around the corner and the 24 Hours of Le Mans will soon have a hydrogen car on the grid is particularly gratifying. But, make no mistake, we are well aware that this is just the beginning of an immense challenge. Today H24 Racing is setting out on a long journey."


























Christophe Ricard, president of GreenGT:
"As president of GreenGT, my role is to define our game plan. We engineer high-power electric-hydrogen powertrains, an alternative to more traditional locomotion technology. With the sudden interest in hydrogen, we saw that our “high-power” approach needed to become “high-density power” given that it was no longer a question of kilowatts per motorised unit, but more a question of optimising the balance between weight, bulk and power. What better way to demonstrate this technology than on a racing track! That’s why GreenGT joined the ACO in this new endeavour, which combines endurance and sustainable performance, technology and emotion.

I would particularly like to thank the ACO and its president Pierre Fillon who has believed in GreenGT since our project was still in its infancy, who saw that we could rise to this challenge and gave us this unrivalled testing ground."

Gérard Neveu, CEO of FIA WEC and ELMS:
"Endurance racing broke the mould in 2012, when the FIA World Endurance Championship first included hybrid prototypes. This discipline is a pioneer. Today with MissionH24 and H24Racing, the ACO and GreenGT bring hydrogen to the sporting world, and our series and championships take on a whole new dimension. They are the testing ground, the launch pad for MissionH24, the way towards the introduction of hydrogen-powered cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024. Today, we are racing to the future."

Jean-Michel Bouresche, General Manager of H24Racing:
Le Mans 2024 is just five seasons away. Five seasons in which H24Racing will be racing over mid and long distances, putting the LMPH2G and its electric-hydrogen technology through its paces. Fitted with GreenGT’s high-power electric-hydrogen energy module, the car is entering the second stage of development now that the technical configuration has been defined. From now on, we are looking for performance, speed and endurance. The third stage, which begins later this year, is the competition phase where the LMPH2G takes on its first opponents under the new H24Racing banner. We shall be writing the future of the automotive world.