The Dakar presents its plan for “clean” cars and trucks

The Dakar is often the target of ecological criticism for its images of certain vehicles emitting black smoke in the middle of magnificent landscapes. This cliché will no longer be relevant for elite class cars and trucks (professionals) from 2026, as confirmed by David Castera, the Director of the event.

The Béarnais held a press conference in Neom (Saudi Arabia) on the evening of the ninth stage of the 2021 edition this Tuesday, January 12. THE rally-raid will not escape the green revolution affecting motor sports, and the Dakar presented a battle plan "Very ambitious" in order to stay in tune with the times. In fact, from 2030, all Car and Truck classes will be made up of low-emission vehicles! 

Rewatch the Dakar 2030 vision's press conference!
https://t.co/Tjf80i6bVp#DakarFuture

- DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 12, 2021

“We have acquired a first certainty: the cars and trucks of tomorrow will travel with electric engines. The challenge ahead is how to provide this electricity. Two major avenues have been considered. The first is thehybrid, with a “classic” combustion engine serving as a generator to send electricity to the electric motors.

The second is'hydrogen, which goes into a fuel cell and which will make electricity. »

To attract as many people as possible and (re)become a relevant technical laboratory for manufacturers, ASO has written a very free regulatory roadmap. “There could be two-wheel drives as well as four-wheel drives, continues David Castera, as well as one, two, three or four electric motors, whether distributed at the front or rear of the vehicle. »

These announcements are interesting, but a small problem arises: how to supply and transport these energies, especially hydrogen, across the desert and its extreme conditions? David Castera also found the solution there.

“If we want to move forward and go quickly, we will also have to go through hydrogen refueling in the middle of the special. This is a first step; when we can do without it, we will”, he explains, in the manner of Formula E, who had started his races with a change of car at the end of 2014, before banishing this pit stop with the Gen2 in 2018.

Four programs focused on these clean energies were recalled to the bivouac, with some details. Audi will arrive in 2022 with the Q Motorsport directed by Sven Quandt and a unique machine, offering electric energy supplied by a TFSI engine, with direct injection and turbocharged.

GCK recalled its hydrogen car program for 2023-24 by taking the e-Blast 1 driven by Kevin Abbring to test in the desert for a week and supplied part of the bivouac with electricity, including the training room. press in Neom.

Cyril Despres and Mike Horn continue to store data with a view to a Gen-Z hydrogen car in collaboration with the CEA. Finally, two proposals for hydrogen trucks have been unveiled. The first is the work of Christophe gaussin with its H2 Racing Truck in 2022 and the second is imagined by the inventor of the Booking.com site and SSV driver, Kees Koolen.