Gaussin Reveals Pininfarina-Designed, Hydrogen-Powered Dakar Race Truck

Gaussin today revealed the H2 Racing Truck, which it calls the “most powerful 100 percent hydrogen and electric racing truck ever built.”

Designed to compete in the World Rally-Raid Championship, the 2022 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia will be its first stage. The truck is intended as a demonstration of the power and reliability of Gaussin’s hydrogen-electric motorization. The company says that data collected during the 2022 Dakar Rally will be used to develop its range of road trucks, slated for launch in 2022.

“New technologies based on renewable energies are available and mature and should help accelerate the energy transition,” said Christophe Gaussin, CEO of Gaussin. “For the Gaussin Group and its partners, this project, which has now become a reality, represents a technological achievement and the fruit of years of work and experience in zero-emission mobility.”

Read More: Pininfarina-Designed “Green” Trucks Are Coming To A Road Near You

Based on what the company calls an ultra-light chassis based on a modular electric vehicle platform of its own design, the H2 Racing Truck is powered by two motors that each produce 402 hp (408 PS/300 kW). Its battery is the same size as the battery in a Volkswagen ID.4, at 82 kWh. Its batteries don’t need to be enormous because of its hydrogen fuel cells, which are capable of carrying 80 kg (176 lbs) of fuel.

In race conditions, traveling at speeds of up to 140 km/h (87 mph)—as regulations dictate—Gaussin figures the truck will be capable of going up to 250 km (155 miles) between 20-minute recharging stops.

The H2 Racing Truck, like the production versions of the truck that will follow, was designed by Pininfarina. The full range is intended to look dramatic, exciting, and to have a familial resemblance.

“We are thrilled to see the first-born truck running, as a result of the extraordinary collaboration with Gaussin,” said Silvio Pietro Angori, Pininfarina CEO. “We have leveraged our long experience in designing sustainable and intelligent mobility combined with our ability to create unique user experiences to shape the full Gaussin range of zero-emission road trucks.”

The trucks that aren’t intended for racing, meanwhile, will be offered in two trims. The long-distance truck is capable of going up to 800 km (497 miles) on a charge, thanks to its hydrogen fuel cell that takes less than 20 minutes to fill. A shorter-range model that is powered by batteries alone, can go 400 km (248 miles) on a charge and features a battery that can be swapped out in just three minutes.