Hydrogen combustion engine in motorsport: technology maturing on the track

Le Mans as a laboratory. That, in a nutshell, is what is happening in the world of hydrogen combustion engines right now. At a technical conference organised by the Société des Ingénieurs de l'Automobile (SIA) in partnership with the Université d'Orléans, leading players from motorsport and the automotive industry presented their latest advances.

At the heart of it all: the Alpine Alpenglow and the Ligier JSR RH2. Both cars have clocked significant mileage on the Circuit de la Sarthe, serving as the ultimate high-performance test platform for hydrogen combustion technology. Supplier Phinia (formerly Borgwarner) presented its injector development work, including on the Foenix H2 from Solution F and GCK. Pipo Moteurs revealed it has adapted a WRX rallycross engine to run on hydrogen.

Belgian students aim for Le Mans 2030

The most striking presence at the event was the Hydroteam from KU Leuven in Belgium. These students have set their sights on the 2030 Le Mans 24 Hours with a hydrogen-powered race car. Currently, they are converting a Ligier chassis barquette using a 3.5-litre Ford V6 adapted to run on gaseous hydrogen. First race outings are planned for the summer of 2027. The leap to liquid hydrogen — necessary for a genuine Le Mans entry — is a far more complex technical challenge. The FIA has now published detailed safety regulations on the matter, covering both WEC endurance racing and WRC rallying.

Combustion increasingly under control

Bosch Engineering confirmed it can now homologate hydrogen combustion engines in Europe, the US, and China. The company sees motorsport explicitly as a stepping stone to series production: sports cars, commercial vehicles, and off-road machinery. The technology is ready. The infrastructure is not yet.

Alpine's Hy6 engine in the Alpenglow produces 800 hp and hit a top speed of 313 km/h on the Hunaudières straight in June 2025 — with more in reserve on slick tyres. Both Alpine and Bosch use water injection to optimise combustion. The future of the Alpenglow remains uncertain, however, as Alpine is set to withdraw from the WEC at the end of this season.

Collaboration as the key

Alpine called for shared efforts on liquid hydrogen to bring costs down. Phinia hinted at several confidential motorsport projects not yet made public. And the broad consensus was clear: what is learned on the track can be applied tomorrow in road transport and aviation.

The hydrogen combustion engine is no longer an experiment. It is a technology in full development — and motorsport is writing the manual.