AVL RACETECH Supports MissionH24 for Hydrogen-Powered Motorsport

Graz, Austria/ Paris, France January 2026 – AVL RACETECH has joined MissionH24. The program, initiated by H24Project together with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), is dedicated to the development of hydrogen-based, zero-emission powertrain concepts for endurance racing. As the motorsport division of the Austrian technology company AVL, AVL RACETECH contributes its technical expertise in advanced vehicle simulation to the collaboration. The new partnership was officially announced at Hyvolution Paris, the international hydrogen trade fair.

MissionH24 aims to demonstrate the performance and competitiveness of hydrogen technologies under real racing conditions, with the aim of creating a zero-CO2 emission category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the support of AVL RACETECH, the H24EVO prototype will be further developed in a targeted manner. The hydrogen-electric race car is designed to meet the high-performance demands and extreme operating conditions of modern endurance racing.

AVL RACETECH supports the project as a technical partner, bringing its extensive experience in virtual vehicle development to MissionH24. A key element of this contribution is the advanced vehicle simulation software AVL VSM™ RACE. The fully dynamic simulation platform enables the virtual representation and analysis of complex interactions between the complete vehicle, the powertrain, and the energy management system. The solution therefore supports the seamless integration of user-defined algorithms into VCU software-in-the-loop (SiL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) workflows specifically designed to optimize the powertrain performance and energy management strategies of the H24EVO race car.

Looking ahead, the technical collaboration is planned to be extended from the virtual environment into full vehicle testing. The alliance between AVL RACETECH, H24Project, and ACO as part of the MissionH24 program is a long-term commitment with a partnership agreement for the next three years.

Pierre FILLON, President of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and Co-President of MissionH24: “AVL's involvement alongside MissionH24 demonstrates the value of our program: the search for decarbonized solutions is essential. AVL's established reputation in the automotive sector lends tremendous credibility to MissionH24. This collaboration promises to be invaluable.”

Jean-Michel BOURESCHE, CEO of H24Project and Co-President of MissionH24: “AVL will strengthen MissionH24's pool of technical partners, all of whom are recognized players in the automotive sector. AVL's skills and expertise will undoubtedly enable us to achieve MissionH24's ambitious goals.”

Ellen LOHR, Director Motorsport, AVL List GmbH: “AVL RACETECH is an established engineering partner in 17 top-tier racing series worldwide. We are connected with the MissionH24 by our shared vision of enabling sustainable motorsports and demonstrating that innovative technologies are tangible, feasible, and competitive on the racetrack.”

Bruno LARDENNOIS, Sales Director at AVL LMM, France: “For almost 20 years, AVL LMM is the Affiliate of AVL representing Engineering activities, and particularly AVL RACETECH, in France, bridging our global expertise with French Racing Teams. Thanks to its unique know-how in design, simulation, and testing, AVL RACETECH is very excited to start this new cooperation with MissionH24, contributing to the next generation H2 series in Endurance racing.”

Photo: Louis Monnier ACO