Explorer Bertrand Piccard, president of the Solar Impulse Foundation and a pioneer in electric mobility, breaks the world record for distance by hydrogen vehicle with a Hyundai Nexo.

From left to right Céleste Lett – Sarreguemines’ Mayor and Vice-president of Communauté d’Agglomération Sarreguemines Confluences (CASC), Roland Roth – President of CASC, Jean Rottner – President of Région Grand Est, Vincent Bernard – Marketing Director Hyundai France & Bertrand Piccard – Solar Impulse Foundation.

• Balloonist Bertrand Piccard drove 778 km across France in a Hyundai NEXO, breaking the world record for the longest distance driven in a hydrogen-powered vehicle on a single tank.
• A number of prominent passengers joined him for parts of the journey, including the CEO of Air Liquide, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and several prominent politicians.
• The purpose of the journey was to promote hydrogen technology as a high-performance solution for future mobility

French aeronaut and president of the Solar Impulse Foundation Bertrand Piccard has broken the world record for the longest distance traveled in a hydrogen-powered vehicle on a single refueling. Driving in a Hyundai Nexo, Piccard left the FaHyence hydrogen station in Sarreguemines on Monday 25 November, a place chosen because of the Grand Est Region’s commitment to responsible mobility, and arrived the next day at the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace in Le Bourget – a distance of 778 km. Never before has a production car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell covered so many kilometres on a single charge.
Accustomed to extraordinary challenges, including the first round-the-world trip in a balloon with Breitling Orbiter and the first round-the-world trip in a solar plane with Solar Impulse, this time Bertrand Piccard was able to take passengers along on this adventure. This was an opportunity for the adventurer and his guests to discover a new generation of car, to share their experiences in terms of environmental protection and to compare their points of view on sustainable development and mobility.
In the passenger seat alongside Bertrand Piccard were:

• Jean Rottner, President of the Grand Est Region (French)
• Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
• Michel Delpon, MP for the Dordogne and President of the Hydrogen Study Group at National Assembly (French)Read the official press releases in english or french.