H2 Motronics is refining its hydrogen racing motorcycle

The hydrogen motorcycle prototype by H2 Motronics in the Nièvre conglomerate will be 25% lighter but will be as autonomous as a competition 100% electric motorcycle. That’s the aim of Emmanuel Esno, general manager of Nivernais Group Texys and its subsidiary H2 Motronics, which plans to unveil this little gem of technology in the spring of 2022, after two successful test campaigns at the FC-Lab in Belfort. It was designed by automobile designer Stéphane Valdant.

The car has the ambition to reach the performance level of 3-motorcycles – that’s 98 seconds on a 4-kilometre circuit like the one in Valencia, Spain – by taking all the hydrogen propulsion components on board: fuel cell, 23-liter tank, compressor, humidifier and controls . “In addition to an electric battery because the motorcycle will have a hybrid drive,” Emmanuel Esno identifies.

The hydrogen solution in H2 Motronics was detonated by the receiver vehicle. The Competitiveness Group is one of the partners, with the Isat and Tecmas Racing team, for this project launched in 2019 which required more than €1 million in investment, with around 50% support from local authorities.

River shuttles, drones, snowmobiles…

The prototype, dubbed “H2K,” was designed to serve as a demonstration of fuel cell technology suitable for light mobility, with the motorcycle platform being the most restrictive in terms of size. “Our job is to minimize and we wanted to break down prejudices,” adds the head of the group whose goal, then, is to attack the light mobility markets on land, at sea or in the air. Those for microlites, drones, river shuttles, snowmobiles… A fundraising campaign worth 1.5 million euros has been launched to launch the post-demonstration.

The H2Motronics design office employs five people and was born in 2019 with the desire of the president of the Texys Group, Philip Luyers, to carry out external projects in the framework of stimulating the startup incubator in Nevers. The group specializes in on-board measurement and sensors for motorsports, aviation and research centres. It employs 45 people and generates sales of €5 million, 70% of which is exported.