Shortly after 09:30 this morning Energy Observer left Saint-Malo to pursue its expedition serving energy transition. Launched in 2017, the boat has already covered 18,000 nautical miles, visited 48 ports-of-call in 25 countries, and is scheduled to take in another 25 countries in the next three years. The vessel uses several renewable energy sources and produces hydrogen through seawater electrolysis. Aboard on this journey is the Olympic torch, fuelled by hydrogen for the first time ever, in line with the Games organising committee’s efforts to boost awareness of environmental issues.

Project managers Jérôme Delafosse and Victorien Erussard see Energy Observer as a floating laboratory. The parallel with the LMPH2G racing car is evident. At a recent hydrogen summit hosted at the Bugatti track in Le Mans, Erussard (pictured above) took the opportunity to sip the water produced by the MissionH24 zero-emission prototype.

The MissionH24 programme run jointly by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and GreenGT promotes the use of hydrogen power in endurance racing with the goal of introducing a class of hydrogen-powered prototypes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024. The LMPH2G is currently being developed for competition by the H24Racing team. 

Watch the video for an update on the story so far: