ACO President Pierre Fillon, ahead of this weekend’s 24 Hours of Fuji in which Toyota will race a hydrogen-powered Corolla, declared plans to progressively introduce the new fuel into the FIA WEC round between 2026 and the beginning of the next decade.
The roadmap it has mapped out includes two key announcements about the new hydrogen prototype class, which the ACO has been planning since 2018. The introduction of the category, intended to create machines capable of winning the overall classification, has been delayed by a year for the second time and is now scheduled to debut in 2026.
It also confirmed that combustion engine cars using hydrogen will be able to compete alongside the zero-emission fuel cell cars for which the class was originally intended.
“In 2026 we will have a hydrogen category at Le Mans at the same level as the Hypercar – Fillon said – At Le Mans it is important to allow manufacturers to test different technologies: it has been like this for 100 years and we want to continue doing it”.
“The idea is to gradually introduce Class H2 after 2026, and in 2030 to have 100% of the main category with hydrogen”.
Since last year Fillon has been vocal about his desire to increase the hydrogen category’s expertise to include internal combustion engines and not just fuel cells, which create electricity through the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.
“The fuel cell was initially chosen for its potential, which is still relevant today,” he told Fuji on Saturday.
MissionH24 car running on hydrogen fuel cells has competed at Le Mans in supporting Le Mans Cup event
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
“Today, the hydrogen internal combustion engine is also being presented as a possibility for manufacturers.
“We officially announce that both fuel cell and hydrogen internal combustion engine technologies will be accepted and authorized for manufacturers wishing to participate in the 24 Hours in the hydrogen category.”
“The Balance of Performance will be used to create a level playing field between the different technologies in use between hydrogen cars and hypercars starting in 2026”.
It has not been said whether the hydrogen category will remain a one-make chassis formula. The original intent was for the participating manufacturers to produce only the fuel cell of the car.
The one-make chassis was announced as a collaboration between Red Bull Advanced Technology and French manufacturer Oreca, while French-Swiss organization GreenGT will supply the electric motors.
Koji Sato, president of Toyota, reacted enthusiastically to the ACO announcement: “Today’s news is very significant and we are very satisfied. We are not ready to make any specific announcement today, but I hope that in the near future we will be able to the smile on your lips”.
Toyota has been fielding Corolla H2 concept since 2021
Photo by: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
Since 2021, Toyota has been racing a car known as the Corolla H2 Concept. A new version of the car, introduced this year, is the first to run on fuel stored in liquid rather than gaseous form.
The ACO has also experimented with hydrogen power in the form of fuel cells and in 2018 launched the MissionH24 initiative together with GreenGT by building two versions of a prototype based on an Adess LMP3 chassis.
The initial iteration of the car, known as the LMPH2G, first appeared in a practice session for the Le Mans Cup at the ACO-run European Le Mans Series weekend in 2019.
The second car’s race programme, simply called the H24, took part in the Road to Le Mans support event at last year’s 24 Hours.
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