KH-7 Ecovergy Team hasn’t been able to race the Dakar Rally proper due to the unique power they’ve been using on their truck, but they found a new home in Mission 1000. For their third Mission 1000 in 2026, they’ve upgraded their MAN TGA 26.480 even more and have turned it into the first hydrogen-electric hybrid truck in race history.

Jordi Juvanteny, navigator José Luis Criado, and mechanic Xavier Ribas will remain together.

“I’m approaching the race with immense enthusiasm,” Juvanteny stated. “If we could win for the third time, that would be ideal. It’s a new project. We’re now pairing electricity with hydrogen, and we believe it’s a technology with a very bright future, both for racing and in the civilian world.

“The challenge is enormous, but we’re going to fight to be at the front. What motivates us most is knowing that we’re facing a project for the future and being part of a truly pioneering team. That’s what gives us this renewed enthusiasm.”

The team had been experimenting with a hydrogen fuel cell since 2023, which caused them to be reassigned to a separate class from the main Truck category. Mission 1000, intended for alternative power sources, debuted the following year.

Previously, the MAN 6×6 was a hybrid that relied on hydrogen and hydrotreated vegetable oil. The ratio of the two was tinkered for 2025 so that the truck ran on 80% hydrogen, while the team also cut down fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by 90%.

For 2026, they added an electric motor and batteries that can regenerate power via kinetic energy while braking. It is then pushed into the engine and potentially the drivetrain, allowing the truck to fully drive on electric power.

“The technology we’ll be using is very advanced, quite uncommon in trucks, and will help us to be more competitive and reduce CO₂ emissions,” Ribas commented. He is the head of EVARM, who developed the hybrid system. “Thanks to the electric motor and batteries, we can recover energy during braking and downhill sections, and then use it on the tracks and in the dunes. We’ve had little time to test, but the Dakar Rally is the best possible laboratory to validate this system under extreme conditions with its vibrations, highly variable temperatures, sand, water, high speeds, and constant uphills and downhills. It will be an enormous learning experience for us.”

2026 will be Criado’s 35th Dakar Rally, moving him up to second for the most Dakar Rallies by a competitor. Stéphane Peterhansel is set for his 36th, tying him with Yoshimasa Sugawara.

“Being able to be at the starting line for the 35th time is extraordinary,” Criado said. “I feel privileged to have found the right people to make it possible for so many years. Jordi and I make a great team. We are very different, but the respect, affection, passion for the Dakar Rally, and desire to continue working together have allowed us to overcome many difficulties for more than three decades.”

KH-7 has been the top Mission 1000 team every year across all three editions.

Featured image credit: KH-7 Ecovergy Team