GreenGT to supply 2024 Le Mans Hydrogen class with powertrains
The Swiss-based GreenGT organisation will produce the electric powertrains for the new class of hydrogen-powered prototypes set for introduction at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2024.
The operation that has produced a line of hydrogen test cars over the past 10 years will supply the electric motors, battery and transmission, leaving manufacturers and teams entering the category to develop the fuel-cell stacks that produce the electricity.
The announcement that Le Mans organiser the Automobile Club de l'Ouest has selected GreenGT follows last week's news that Red Bull Advanced Technologies and ORECA will work together on the one-make chassis.
ACO president Pierre Fillon described GreenGT as an "obvious choice for us".
"We have already been working together for several years and the expertise we have built up thanks to the MissionH24 project will benefit the teams that enter the class," he said.
"We know where we want to go, and with excellent companions to help us on the way, the ACO is determined to achieve the goal of making a real contribution to sustainable mobility."
GreenGT boss Christophe Ricard added that his company is "proud to be joining prominent automotive experts ORECA, Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Plastic Omnium [which is the supplier of the high-pressure fuel tanks]".
"The challenge is great, as is our determination to meet it," he said.
The ACO and GreenGT launched the MissionH24 initiative in September 2018 as a lead-in to the proposed hydrogen class.
GreenGT has produced two test vehicles, both based on an ADESS LMP3 chassis, under the MissionH24 banner as part of the data gathering exercise.
The first car, known as the LMPH2G, was demonstrated on the full Le Mans circuit ahead of the 24 Hours in 2019 and subsequently ran during a free practice session of a Le Mans Cup round on the European Le Mans Series bill at Spa later in the year.
A second generation of the car was shown at the rescheduled 2020 Le Mans last September.
GreenGT's first hydrogen prototype developed on a chassis supplied by Welter Racing was slated for a Le Mans entry in 2013.
It was due to run in the the 'Garage 56' grid slot reserved for experimental machinery taken by Nissan's Deltawing and ZEOD RC in 2012 and '13 respectively, but was withdrawn with GreenGT citing the need for further development.
Previous article
Oliver Gavin's Corvette Racing highlights
Next article
Schnitzer Motorsport set to be liquidated after BMW split
Inside the Le Mans finish too barmy for Hollywood
Team WRT has been at the forefront of GT racing for years and made a successful move to prototypes for 2021, capped by an LMP2 win on its Le Mans debut. It could've been even better had the race been one lap shorter, when its cars ran 1-2, but the stranger-than-fiction reality has spurred the team to reach greater heights.
Why Toyota's Le Mans victory was not as simple as it looked
Toyota scored its fourth Le Mans 24 Hours victory and a 1-2, with the #7 car of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez beating the #8. But although it looked straightforward from the outside, Toyota faced serious problem that had to be solved with some quick-thinking and ingenuity.
What we've learned from the Le Mans 24 Hours so far
The new dawn for the FIA World Endurance Championship has arrived at Le Mans, as Hypercars prepare to duel for victory in the world's oldest endurance race. Motorsport.com picks out the 10 things we have learned in the build up to the race.
Le Mans 2021: The team-by-team guide
After a two-month delay due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Le Mans 24 Hours is set to get underway with the start of the Hypercar era at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
The ex-F1 drivers making a name for themselves in LMP2 at Le Mans
Kevin Magnussen will make his Le Mans 24 Hours debut this weekend alongside father Jan in LMP2. But the Danes won't be the only ex-F1 drivers to appear in the hotly contested category this year.
Can Toyota's #7 crew break its Le Mans curse?
One Toyota, normally with the number 7 on the side, always seems to attract the bad luck in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez are hoping for a change in fortune this time around, but face significantly more unknowns than in recent years
How to prepare an amateur for Le Mans sensory overload
The 23-car GTE Am field promises to be one of the most open in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, with the added jeopardy of managing the enthusiasm of amateur drivers to boot, as Absolute Racing Porsche driver Marco Seefried explains
Why Glickenhaus should be taken seriously on its Le Mans bow
Many were quick to dismiss Glickenhaus when the boutique American sportscar firm's entry into the top class of the Le Mans 24 Hours was announced. It's all-new LMH racer, powered by an engine built by a rally specialist, goes in as the underdog against Toyota but the mathematical odds suggest that it has more than just a faint hope of success.
