Paris, May 10, 2022 – On the occasion of the Hyvolution trade show, the key event for the hydrogen industry in France on May 11 and 12 in Paris, the Green Corp Konnection (GCK) group will present for the first time in France its hydrogen-powered rally-raid vehicle that will take part in the Dakar 2024.
GCK unveiled the first fuel cell powered rally-raid competition vehicle on January 8 in Saudi Arabia during the Dakar 2022 rally. This car, named GCK e-Blast H2 and powered by hydrogen, will be presented in exclusivity in France at the Hyvolution show, on the GCK group stand.
It is the first time that a fuel cell with a power of 200kW is integrated in a competition vehicle. Throughout the year 2021, all the teams of the GCK Group, in collaboration with the engineering company FEV, have been working on the development of this fuel cell and on its integration into the vehicle. These achievements will allow the GCK e-Blast H2 to cover a 250 km stage entirely powered by green energy.
Since the presentation during the Dakar Rally last January, GCK has continued the development of the fuel cell and the car through bench and dynamic tests. In the second half of 2022, an extensive test program under real rally-raid conditions will lead the team to participate in some of the 2023 Dakar stages, before being ready to start the full event in 2024.
Since its creation, Green Corp Konnection has used motorsport as an innovation laboratory to test technological solutions in the most extreme conditions, which are then applied on an industrial level. GCK will use the powertrain designed for the GCK e-Blast H2 to power 5 snow groomers in the Alpe d’Huez ski resort.
The Hyvolution 2022 Exhibition
The 2022 edition of the Hyvolution exhibition, a key event for hydrogen players with 290 exhibitors, is part of the unprecedented dynamic that the development of a hydrogen ecosystem in France is currently benefiting from. This dynamic is reinforced by the energy issues linked to the war in Ukraine which accelerates the interest for hydrogen. As such, GCK will be present alongside the main actors of the decarbonized mobility and transport of tomorrow.
Public actors will also be present as 12 French regions have already set up hydrogen plans and are investing several tens of millions of euros to structure territorial ecosystems. In 2020, the French government has set up an ambitious hydrogen strategy with a budget of 9 billion euros and has placed this energy at the heart of the France 2030 plan to create a competitive low-carbon hydrogen industry within the next 10 years and confirm France’s place among the most advanced countries in this field.
For Eric Boudot, General Manager of GCK: “We are very excited to present the GCK e-Blast H2 at the Hyvolution show. The current energy revolution and the climate emergency have led to a growing awareness of the need to decarbonize motorsports. This is the meaning of this first hydrogen-powered rally-raid car, respectful of the environment, powered only by green energy and capable of a great autonomy.“