French motorsport engine manufacturer Pipo Moteurs is to build and develop a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine for use on the 2023 Dakar rally.
The company has extensive experience working in the WRC, supplying engines to both Hyundai and previously M-Sport. Most recently, it built the twin-turbocharged, V8 engines that powered Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus’s SCG 007 Le Mans Hypercars.
The company has already been working on the use of synthetic and biofuels and saw hydrogen as a logical next step. Developing a motor that can best utilize hydrogen will require the development of a bespoke injection system in addition to revised turbocharger and cylinder head designs compared with the company’s traditional gasoline offerings.