MissionH24 running at the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
On the Belgian track, on May 11, as part of the 3rd round of the FIA WEC 2024, the H24, an electric hydrogen racing prototype from MissionH24, a collaborative program between the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and H24Project, is evolving in company of another hydrogen car, the Alpenglow from Alpine, which will complete its first official kilometers in public on the circuit.
With the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, MissionH24 has always maintained a special relationship and 2024 will prove it again.
In 2018, this collaborative program between the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and H24Project for the creation of an H2 category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the FIA World Endurance Championship, apparently revealed its strategy for the Endurance, at the same time organizing a demonstration and hydrogen refueling of the first hydrogen electric laboratory vehicle, the LMPH2G. The challenge then began.
The following years saw the installation of the first H2 mobile station, built by TotalEnergies, in the paddock, then at the edge of the track, and also the engagement of these pioneering prototypes, the LMPH2G then the H24, in tests. free entries in the Michelin Le Mans Cup as part of the European Le Mans Series.
In 2023, during the round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Spa-Francorchamps, the LMPH2G performed a demonstration lap for the many spectators who came to see the formidable Endurance field a few weeks before the centenary of the 24 Hours. of Le Mans, with a crew symbolic of the link between MissionH24 and the legendary Belgian track: Pierre Fillon, president of the ACO, at the wheel, and Amaury Bertholomé, general director of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, as passenger.
May 11, 2024 will be a new milestone. A few tens of minutes before the start of the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, 3rd round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, the H24 will complete several laps of the legendary Belgian slide, in the company of another hydrogen vehicle, the 'Alpine's Alpenglow, equipped with a combustion engine while the H24 uses a fuel cell, supplied by Symbio, one of the valuable partners with TotalEnergies, Michelin, Plastic Omnium, Richard Mille and Dietsmann.
This demonstration of two hydrogen vehicles deploying two different technologies illustrates the specificity of Endurance. Its sporting regulations welcome and encourage the variety of solutions, particularly for the energy transition. The TotalEnergies mobile H2 station will be deployed to refuel these two pioneering machines.
Throughout the event, spectators will be able to deepen their knowledge and maintain their interest in hydrogen by visiting the Hydrogen Village, dedicated to the zero-emission competition, installed in the heart of the fan zones.
In parallel with these hydrogen activities on track and for the public, an H2 training forum will be organized in Spa-Francorchamps, by Automotive Skills Alliance, GreenSkillsforH2 and Skills Alliance for Industrial Symbiosis, European entities.
Hydrogen forum at the TotalEnergies 6 hours of Spa-Francorchamps
A Hydrogen VET Forum will be organized within the framework of the European Skills Agenda by the Automotive Skills Alliance, GreenSkillsforH2 and Skills Alliance for Industrial Symbiosis, European initiatives and projects dedicated to the development of skills needed to deliver on the EU's ambition to transition to a climate neutral economy by 2050, in collaboration with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest.
The Hydrogen VET Forum will be held as part of the FIA 2024 World Endurance Championship, during the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, on an emblematic track for MissionH24 which did its first official laps there in 2018.
Aimed at teachers, the event will provide an overview on the latest developments in hydrogen technology and strengthen hydrogen education in Europe. The event will also include workshops with hydrogen experts from the world of motor racing, including those from MissionH24, a program run in collaboration with the ACO and H24Project. It represents, once again, the formidable role of Endurance racing as a technological laboratory. Thanks to its hydrogen strategy, the ACO is recognized in Europe and by the European Commission as a key player in the energy transition.
24 Hours of Le Mans 2024: H2 prototypes on track Saturday June 15
A world premiere will take place on Saturday June 15, 2024 during the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans: the H24, MissionH24's hydrogen racing prototype, will be on track a few hours before the start of the 92nd edition, as it has already done been able to achieve it in recent years, but in 2024 it will not be alone since several other hydrogen prototypes will accompany it for this pioneering demonstration. Proof that MissionH24, the collaborative program between the ACO and H24Project, is concretely pursuing its objectives.
Created in 2018, MissionH24 helps promote hydrogen in competition, with the aim of creating an H2 category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
This demonstration run of hydrogen prototypes demonstrates the commitment of manufacturers ready to join this new category, the future of endurance after the formidable era of the current hypercar.
Between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., on the main 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit, several hydrogen competition prototypes, using fuel cells and hydrogen combustion engines, will evolve at a sustained pace. The zero-emission competition will thus be presented to hundreds of thousands of spectators and television viewers. The centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans race has been an incredible technological laboratory since its creation in 1923. Today, it is working on the energy transition essential to the defense of the planet and is working for zero-emission mobility.
The participants in this zero CO2 emission driving will be officially revealed in the coming weeks.
See you now on June 15, 2024, shortly after 12 p.m., for this unique experience for competition and future mobility. This will be one of the first major highlights of this Le Mans weekend.
Stéphane Richelmi targets ELMS with Vector Sport
Reference pilot with Norman Nato of the MissionH24 program, Stéphane Richelmi is preparing for a lively 2024 calendar. In parallel with his involvement with the team for the creation of the new hydrogen electric prototype H24EVO, the driver will participate with the British entity Vector Sport https://www.instagram.com/vectorsportofficial/?hl=fr, in the entire season of the European Le Mans Series (6 races between April and October), in LMP2, with an additional objective: winning an invitation to the 24 Hours of Le Mans next June (June 15-16).
With his experience behind the wheel of pioneering prototypes, the various hydrogen electric prototypes of MissionH24 (LMPH2G and H24, before H24EVO in a few months), Stéphane Richelmi, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMP2 in 2016 and title in this category in FIA WEC still in 2016, will take advantage of its commitment with Vector Sport in 2024 to maintain its competitiveness, its pugnacity, its racing outlook, facing multiple competitors in different categories. This collaboration in LMP2 in 2024 testifies to the quality and experience of the MissionH24 driver.
In 2024, Stéphane Richelmi will be at the helm of the H24 for development tests for the MissionH24 team, as well as for special events announced in the coming weeks. He will also contribute to the development of the new H24EVO.
Norman Nato, MissionH24's other leading driver, is entered in the FIA WEC in the Hypercar category (Hertz Team Jota), and in Formula E (Andretti) for 2024.
MissionH24 at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham
MissionH24 will be showcasing hydrogen-fuelled motor racing at Autosport International – billed as Europe’s largest motorsport show – at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre this week. The pioneering programme headed jointly by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and H24Project will ultimately lead to a hydrogen prototype class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
As we speed into 2024, the MissionH24 project team and partners are focusing their attention on the construction of the new H24EVO, while a full diary of major events offers multiple opportunities to bring the programme into the spotlight. First up is Autosport International – now named A24 – which will play host to the H24 prototype from 11 to 14 January.
The H24 car will be displayed in Motorsport Hall 3A where it will demonstrate the endurance discipline’s commitment to decarbonise racing through hydrogen. The H24 has a unique track record as the first electric-hydrogen prototype to have taken on a field of conventional ICE-powered cars in endurance races, in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, reaching the chequered flag every time.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans, established in 1923, is a crucial testing ground for technology. Today’s research has zero-emission racing in its sights. Hydrogen offers tremendous potential in this regard as Bassel Aslan, MissionH24’s Technical Director, will reveal on the live stage at 11AM CET on Sunday.
Mr Aslan will also outline progress on the upcoming H24EVO machine that will make its first track outing in 2025.
Further information on Autosport International 2024 is available here: https://autosportinternational.com/en/2024
MissionH24 at European H2 Week
The collaborative program between the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and H24Project takes part in this international meeting of hydrogen stakeholders, which will take place in Brussels on 20-24 November. It is organised by Hydrogen Europe, together with the European Commission and the Clean Hydrogen Partnership.
At the invitation of Hydrogène Europe, the organizer of this event, a stand inspired by the Hydrogène Village of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in a reduced format and adapted to an indoor show, will present to visitors to Brussels Expo, this vector of energy that will decarbonize Endurance and more generally mobility.
The MissionH24 program, with its first hydrogen electric prototype, the LMPH2G, will constitute the central element of the system since motor racing, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship in particular, are the DNA of the 'CO.
The LMPH2G, this pioneering demonstrator, will allow the public to see the potential of hydrogen in extreme use, car racing. The operation of this electric prototype which produces its own electricity via the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel cell will be explained concretely. The feedback from the team that developed the LMPH2G, before the H24 and now the H24Evo, can be shared by Bassel Aslan, the technical director of the program, present at the start of the week. Hydrogen in competition is neither science fiction nor the future, it is already the present and reality since in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, in 2022, the H24 has finished all the races in which it has participated. As a reminder, MissionH24, a collaboration between the ACO and H24Project, aims to create a Hydrogen category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in order to decarbonize this endurance classic.
Fun activities on the manufacture of hydrogen, or even on the history of the legendary endurance test, will complete this exhibition, located in Hall 7 of the Brussels Expo.
In the name of zero-emission racing! It will be the H24EVO!
The new MissionH24 racing car is now called the H24EVO. Unveiled on 11 October, the electric-hydrogen prototype is the new flagbearer of the project to promote hydrogen in racing initiated by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and orchestrated by H24Project. A panel composed of ACO president Pierre Fillon and H24Project president Jean-Michel Bouresche who co-chair MissionH24, project sponsor Richard Mille, and drivers Norman Nato and Stéphane Richelmi selected the name among suggestions from members of the project’s online community.
The H24EVO takes up the baton from the H24 and the LMPH2G in the race to achieve zero-carbon motor racing. Its maiden outing is scheduled for 2025 when it will set out to demonstrate the role that hydrogen can play in terms of performance and the energy transition we need to undertake to save the planet.
MissionH24’s aim is to introduce a class for hydrogen prototypes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A dozen constructors from around the world have been working towards this goal for several years now. As a pioneer in hydrogen-powered racing, the H24EVO is a precious tool with which to experiment the technology.
As soon it receives FIA homologation, the prototype will be entered for the Michelin Le Mans Cup. In the meantime, the car will be on display at the next 24 Hours of Le Mans, 12–16 June 2024. When the time comes, it will cut a unique figure in a field of fossil-fuel combustion engine vehicles, thanks to its sleek, alluring look and technical features resulting from the feedback of its predecessors.
Pierre Fillon, ACO president and MissionH24 joint chair:
"The third MissionH24 prototype is the result of several years’ experience with this new technology on the racetrack and the road. But this isn’t just a demonstration to get admiring looks. It’s proof that hydrogen has true potential. It’s our way of making our strategy real for the motor racing community and motorists in general. Explaining our approach and sharing our findings are part of how we work. It’s a team effort."
Jean-Michel Bouresche, Head of the H24Project and MissionH24 joint chair:
"The name of the third MissionH24 prototype reflects our programme. Short and snappy, H24EVO points to our rapid progress over little time. The car opens a new chapter with the promise of an exciting future. With H24EVO, carbon-free mobility is fast becoming a reality."
Richard Mille, MissionH24 partner:
“A name sums up a programme, an idea, a challenge. To me, it was important that the name of this new prototype epitomise the values at work in this pioneering effort. Initiated in 2018, MissionH24 embodies our strategy and beliefs. A zero-emission racing car, heading towards zero-carbon motor racing and mobility, merits a singular name: H24EVO is another milestone in the pursuit of our goals for endurance racing and travel in general."
Norman Nato:
“This car’s design is as promising as the technical improvements it incorporates. Will its performance match its looks? Let’s just say it’s the goal we have set ourselves, especially as the development of the electric-hydrogen prototype contributes greatly to MissionH24’s overall progress."
Stéphane Richelmi:
“Naming a car isn’t as easy as it might seem, and we were grateful for the suggestions from our followers. We opted for a name that indicates that our programme continues to evolve. I must say I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the H24EVO!”
MissionH24 and the Ballon d'Or
Today, the H24, the electric hydrogen prototype from the MissionH24 programme, paraded one of the most prestigious sports trophies in the world, the Ballon d’Or, through the streets of Paris in the run-up to the international footballers’ annual prize-giving ceremony.
MissionH24 played a starring role in the Ballon d'Or celebrations on 30 October, as the H24 completed the final stretch of the trophies’ journey through the streets of Paris to the red carpet outside the Théâtre du Châtelet, the venue for the prestigious football award honouring the best male and female footballers of the season.
An activation imagined in collaboration with Amaury Media and France Football and broadcast on the L’Equipe channel.
The H24, the first electric hydrogen racing prototype, was driven by Stéphane Richelmi, who delivered the trophies to the hosts of the gala event. This was a remarkable – and most importantly – sustainable choice of transport, since the H24 is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and emits nothing but water from its exhaust. In the course of its short Parisian trip, it emitted 0.4 litres of pure water.
Mission H24’s vocation is to create a class for hydrogen-powered cars at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans to achieve zero-emission racing and mobility.
Stéphane Richelmi, H24 driver at the wheel with the Ballon d'Or on 30 October 2023:
"I have to admit that of all the passengers I've taken on board my electric hydrogen prototype, these two Ballons d'Or trophies were the most surprising and perhaps the most spectacular. A few minor adjustments and maximum concentration were required to drive through the streets of Paris at this pace. As we pulled up at the venue, the H24 drew admiring glances from the world's leading male and female footballers and no doubt piqued the curiosity of the hundreds of millions of TV viewers waiting to hear the names of the 2023 winners. It was a privilege to have been entrusted with the sustainable, zero-emission delivery of these two coveted awards!”
Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and co-president of MissionH24:
“Tonight's operation saw the H24 hydrogen electric prototype transport the Ballon d'Or through the streets of Paris and shows how different sports can work together to help bring about the energy transition. All sports have a role to play in the quest for zero emissions and sharing experiences can only be a good thing. I’m particularly proud of tonight’s event and the sustainable initiatives we’ve undertaken.”
MissionH24 answered Madrid’s Global Mobility Call
MissionH24 is just back from Madrid, where its representatives from the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and H24Project continued their venture to promote hydrogen as a solution for transport at Global Mobility Call, a major international event on sustainable mobility. Displayed at the congress entrance from 24 to 26 October, the LMPH2G electric-hydrogen prototype attracted its fair share of attention. Meanwhile, ACO President Pierre Fillon gave a presentation on the crucial role that the Endurance discipline is playing in the move towards zero-carbon mobility.
The sleek lines of the LMPH2G were the subject of much admiration and curiosity during the three-day congress in the Spanish capital. True to the DNA of the ACO, founded in 1906 and organiser of the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1923, the electric-hydrogen prototype is breaking new ground in motorsport, proving the potential of hydrogen in mobility for all. In today’s world, freedom of movement cannot be dissociated with our duty to respect our environment.
Endurance racing is determined to lead the way to zero-carbon mobility. Since 2018, when the MissionH24 project was launched, the discipline has been promoting zero-carbon racing. In 2026, the 24 Hours of Le Mans will comprise a class for hydrogen-powered cars and the prospect is a source of inspiration for numerous carmakers.
Thanks to the LMPH2G, the intentions of MissionH24 were clearly visible to visitors at Madrid’s Ifema over the past few days. Many admirers are pioneers in their own right, among them explorer and environmentalist Bertrand Piccard, who enjoyed a ride in the LMPH2G at Le Mans in the early days of the project. Other important visitors were Ifema Madrid president José Vicente de los Mozos, FIA senate president Carmelo Sanz de Barros, José Ignacio Lijarcio, who came with several other representatives of the Spanish road safety foundation, Ignacio Varela of the Guardia Civile, José Manuel Escoin Cano, secretary general of the Spanish chamber of commerce in France, Director-General for Traffic Pere Navarro, as well as representatives of project partners TotalEnergies, Michelin, Symbio, Plastic Omnium, Richard Mille, Dietsmann and Essilor.
In his address to the congress on Wednesday, Pierre Fillon emphasised that the ACO’s strategy is part of a wider collaborative effort: The ACO is promoting hydrogen in endurance racing because it suits our race format. But trains, trucks and buses can all run efficiently and effectively on hydrogen. Several other forms of transport could follow suit.
That said, we are not claiming that hydrogen is THE solution. I am often told that it will be very difficult for hydrogen to become the solution for the future.
Of course, hydrogen is not THE solution – it is ONE of the solutions. Today, there are many forms of mobility for very different purposes. And the number of vehicles is much greater than it was sixty years ago. We shall have to rethink how we travel and, above all, how we manage our energy resources. There will be more than one solution. That’s the situation and, in a way, it’s more reassuring than relying on just one form of energy. We owe our energies the same consideration and respect as we owe our environment. Engineers and research scientists are working with determination and conviction on a multitude of solutions.
I must say, however, that energy transition is everyone’s business. We cannot rely solely on research, science and technology. There must be collective awareness of the situation. Teamwork is necessary for a successful transition, to maintain our freedom of movement. With less pressure on the planet.
MissionH24 is one of the components of the teamwork led by all the key players in mobility gathered here.
MissionH24 unveils a brand new hydrogen electric prototype
After the LMPH2G and the H24, MissionH24, a collaborative project between the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and H24Project, presents this October 11, 2023 a brand new hydrogen electric prototype.
The new hydrogen electric prototype more distinguished, it displays very different ambitions. After introducing hydrogen on the track, MissionH24 is now introducing hydrogen in competition, for a race with zero CO2 emissions.
With the support of its partners, TotalEnergies, Michelin, Symbio, Plastic Omnium, Richard Mille, Dietsmann and Essilor, discover the new prototype of MissionH24.