Ligier Automotive CEO Jacques Nicolet and Dr. Johannes-Joerg Rueger, the CEO of Bosch Engineering, revealed the new Ligier JS2 RH2 — a “race-ready” high-performance car that has been produced as a proof of concept for cutting-edge hydrogen combustion technology — today at Le Mans.
The two organizations have been hard at work developing the car since last November. It is powered by a 3.0-liter bi-turbocharged V6 engine, based on an existing platform from Bosch.
In terms of its technical stats, the car currently has an output of 420 kilowatts, produces 570 horsepower and can achieve a top speed of 280 km/h / 174mph. It weighs 1450kg / 3197 lbs and can run for approximately a single stint on the Le Mans circuit, between 35 and 40 minutes.
While on the outside the car looks almost identical to Ligier’s existing JS2 R, which currently competes in the Ligier European Series, underneath its body it is a completely new platform. It houses a custom H2 storage system with three 2.1-kilogram tanks.
“We chose the JS2 R design as a platform because we started the project in November, so we had to move fast,” Ligier Automotive owner Jacques Nicolet told RACER. “However, under the body, it’s a completely new car. The JS2 R is a tubular chassis; this uses a carbon monocoque with three fully integrated hydrogen tanks. It’s ready to race with the maximum level of safety.”
While the phrase “race ready” was used to describe the JS2 RH2 throughout the presentation, this car — which has already been out testing at a Bosch test track — is not expected to race any time soon, if ever. Instead, the car is a technological demonstrator that will be used as the foundation for longer-term goals for both Ligier and Bosch in the hydrogen marketplace.
Neither Bosch nor Ligier were prepared to go into any real detail at this stage about its future beyond being developed and shown to potential customers (it has two seats). There is no current plan for the car to compete or run as part of the Ligier European Series, in an experimental category as part of a series such as the 24H Series or NLS, or as a future Garage 56 project at Le Mans. Clearly, though, there may be a huge number of potential opportunities for this car and the technology in the future.
When asked by RACER for clarity on Bosch’s vision for this project in the long term, and whether or not the ACO’s 2026 hydrogen regulations could present a chance for Bosch and Ligier to compete together, Rueger said it was a “possibility.”
“Of course it is,” he continued. “We have looked for a strategic partnership with somebody that has capabilities that fit with ours and can do things we are not as good as, such as making vehicles.
“We are not a vehicle maker and Ligier is not an electronics company, that’s why it was a perfect fit. Ligier is a fabulous partner and we have seen what is achievable in a very short amount of time.”
Nicolet told DailySportsCar.com that it is “too early” to say where this partnership and project are going.
“For the moment the plan with Bosch is to work on this kind of project, to develop our knowledge with this kind of product,” he explained. “After that, we will see when there are decisions taken from the ACO or someone else to integrate hydrogen cars into competition. Then we will see what we decide. This is a first step, a one-off, to develop and learn.
“One day there will be a single solution to hydrogen. We want to put ourselves at the forefront of this technology.”
