President of Chile Congratulates H2GP Team, Drives Students’ Hydrogen Car

The President of Chile has congratulated the first Latin American H2GP team to qualify for the global hydrogen education competition. Students from Liceo Domingo Matte Perez of Maipu, Chile, had the chance to show off their self-built hydrogen H2GP car to the Chilean President during an event at the President’s residence, in La Moneda, dedicated to the delivery of the Chile’s Action Plan for Hydrogen development 2030.

“Thank you also to the students of the Liceo Domingo Matte Perez of Maipu, who were the first in Latin America to qualify to the Horizon Hydrogen Grand Prix - a tournament dedicated to the application and use of green Hydrogen, and which they received a tremendous 4th place, congratulations guys!,” said President Gabriel Boric.

Minister of Energy Diego Pardow was also in attendance, comparing the full-size Hydrogen powered forklifts he saw at a distribution centre to the student-led team’s 1:10 scale hydrogen car – telling the students “this equipment was on a scale similar to the ones you were competing in Nevada."

After the event ended President Gabriel Boric took the opportunity to drive the students’ H2GP hydrogen car, thanking the students, the school principal Maria Alejandra Vidal Espinoza, and the team coach Fabian Contreras Benavides.

“After taking a picture with us, President Boric asked to drive the vehicle. As a pilot, it was surprising to me that he drove it so well!” said Maximilian Pereira,  a student from Liceo Domingo Matte Perez. “We were very thankful for the invitation as it was a unique experience and we were happy to be there.”

The launch of H2GP in Chile comes off the back of the country announcing a multi-year action plan to scale-up hydrogen development in the Latin American nation. Part of this action plan includes the use of offshore wind to generate hydrogen through electrolysis – utilizing the sort of technology H2GP students are introduced to in the Hydrogen Grand Prix.