Hydrogen isn't new as a fuel in motorsports, but developments this year have been historic. Hydrogen-powered race cars competed or made demonstration runs at some of the world's most iconic tracks, as organizations across the globe continued to promote hydrogen as a fuel for all mobility.

"2025 does feel like it is a bit more of a watershed year for hydrogen in motor racing," said Mark Grain, technical director for FIA Extreme H World Cup, whose Pioneer 25 race car is powered by hydrogen gas that emits only water vapor as exhaust. "I think it's fantastic that we've got all of these big OEMs…pushing forward with hydrogen for the future."

Consider these recent developments:

Honda competed with a hydrogen fuel-cell powered car in the 2025 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, a first for "The Race to the Clouds."

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) announced that hydrogen-powered cars will be part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the entire World Endurance Championship (WEC), in 2028, competing alongside conventional combustion engine cars.

Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) unveiled its GR LH2 Racing Concept, a hydrogen-powered prototype, at Le Mans; its hydrogen-powered Corolla, for the first time, completed the Fuji 24 endurance race; and its hydrogen-powered Yaris made its public debut with demonstration runs at the World Rally Championship race in Finland.

The hydrogen-powered Forze IX made its racing debut in August at the Supercar Challenge series race at TT Circuit Assen, the biggest racing event in the Netherlands.

And the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Extreme H World Cup, the world's first hydrogen-powered motorsports championship, debuted with demonstrations at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England in July with a race event still possible in 2025.

A NEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Perhaps most significant in this seminal year for hydrogen in motorsports is the launch of Extreme H. The organization, based in London, United Kingdom, did more than 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) of testing with its Pioneer 25, equivalent to three seasons of its former electric-powered series, Extreme E.

"We like to think we've got a good race car to make for a good experience for the drivers, but also, obviously, for the spectators as well, and the fans watching on TV," Grain said.

As it was with Extreme E, using hydrogen as an energy source fits Extreme H's "race without a trace" motto. "We arrive and race at these extreme locations around the world," he said, and leave them "as pristine as when we arrived."

Grain said the compressed-gas hydrogen (CGH2) Pioneer 25 shares traits with off-road Rally Raid or Baja cars: It has high ride height and is heavy—nearly 5,000 pounds.

The center-mounted single-seat car was designed and manufactured by Spark Racing Technology in Tigery, France. It is equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell from Symbio, which also supplies fuel cell systems for OEMs from its facility in Temecula, California.

The vehicle's peak 400-kilowatt (kw), or 550-horsepower, output is capable of moving the car from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 4.5 seconds and to a top speed of 200 kph (124 mph). It has a tank capacity of 2 kilograms (kg) of hydrogen at 400 bars of pressure, with one bar about equal to the atmospheric pressure at sea level.

Lengthy charging time for battery-powered electric vehicles in motorsports—a problem cited by other contacts for this story—in part prompted the replacement of Extreme E, Grain said.

He stressed that the battery in the hydrogen-powered Pioneer 25 should be viewed as an energy accumulator or reserve, not the energy source. That said, the battery in hyper-boost mode, the most powerful, delivers 325 kw and the hydrogen fuel cell just 75.

"What we're looking to do," he said, "is shift the balance toward the fuel cell and away from the pack."

To read more like this for free, sign up for a digital subscription to PRI Magazine on Zinio here.    

Once you download the Zinio mobile app or are logged into Zinio on a desktop browser, you will gain immediate access to more than a year's worth of content, including "H2-Oh! The Future of Hydrogen in Motorsports" here and more coverage in the October 2025 issue here.