By: GenH2 Staff
Read Time: 2 minutes

Recently celebrating its 100^th anniversary, France’s annual 24 Hours of Le Mans race continues to be at the forefront of showcasing endurance-focused vehicles and cutting-edge automotive technologies. Concentrating on reliability, the Le Mans race has also brought awareness to fuel alternatives for future forms of transport, with hydrogen being given a special emphasis.

Hydrogen functions as an emissions-free renewable fuel carrier and can immensely benefit endurance-based vehicles such as those in the Le Mans race. The advantages of using hydrogen fuel include enhanced efficiency, infinite renewability, and zero emissions. Liquefying hydrogen further amplifies these benefits due to its increased energy density. Being more lightweight than traditional fuels also decreases the vehicle’s overall weight, which is especially useful for racecars.

In the spirit of embracing hydrogen, Le Mans plans on introducing a hydrogen category for 2026, with the president of the organizing group of the Le Mans race, the L’Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), aiming for all the top cars in Le Mans to be hydrogen-fueled by 2030. Le Mans has also demonstrated its excitement for hydrogen in areas beyond the race through its ‘Hydrogen Village’ which showcased relevant hydrogen technologies. Event guests who drove cars powered by renewable energy sources such as hydrogen were also offered ticket discounts.

As of right now, several hydrogen racecar models have been unveiled in anticipation of the 2026 hydrogen race category. Of specific interest is Toyota’s GR H2 concept, which uses a liquid hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE) with a hybrid power-assist. Using a hydrogen ICE allows zero-emission vehicles to resemble modern cars in terms of noise, dynamics, and torque, preserving the excitement of traditional cars while incorporating the benefits of hydrogen. Being capable of onboard storage of liquid hydrogen also allows for the model to hold more fuel, further adding to its endurance.

With the ever-increasing need for sustainable energy being demonstrated through newer forms of renewable-fueled technologies, the automotive world is no exception. If races such as Le Mans serve as any indication, hydrogen is set to play a central role in the future of transportation!

GenH2’s mission is to create solutions for the liquid hydrogen value chain, focusing on light-scale liquefaction, storage, and transfer. The modular, scalable systems can accelerate widescale infrastructure rollout that will assist in the development of liquid hydrogen vehicles. To learn more about how GenH2 revolutionizes hydrogen solutions to support clean energy, see our press release featuring the small-scale LS20 Mobile Liquid Hydrogen System!