Despite the encouraging announcements, the task promises to be tough.

Advances exist, such as the biofuel used by the French Guerlain Chicherit (Buggy) or Sébastien Loeb (Prodrive), convinced of being the most virtuous: "a priori, we are the most ecological, Prodrive produces its +homemade+ gasoline based on agricultural waste."

Audi's hybrid vehicles have marked their performance, but their merits are not unanimous, even within the team.

"If the technology is greener, it's hard to say, but saving energy is the direction to take and doing the Dakar in electric today, it's impossible," confided the French Stéphane Peterhansel midway through. race.

Among competitors Toyota and BRX, we are also surprised by the announcement of a 40% drop in consumption for the German brand.

"It is certainly not less than 300 liters and, on certain stages, we use 300 liters ourselves" with conventional heat engines, remarks Glyn Hall, owner of the "Toys" and of the Qatari favorite Nasser al-Attiyah. the day before arrival.

"Is it ecological? I don't know (...) There is still a heat engine that runs constantly to charge the battery, wonders Loeb.

Dakar boss David Castera is not fooled: We are talking about low-emission vehicles by 2030 and not zero emissions, because building a vehicle will always emit CO2. "But on the stages, he wants to do without" oil, with electric motors". Exit the hybrid. It remains to know how to feed them.

The hydrogen trail

One track under study is hydrogen, present with presentation vehicles but not yet in the race.

Chicherit, still him, is developing a fuel cell car that he wants to align in 2024.

Christophe Gaussin, CEO of the group of the same name, launched into electric vehicles powered by hydrogen in 2012. His company has developed a truck also destined to compete in the near future, silent and zero emissions ... while 'it rolls anyway.

Frenchman Sébastien Loeb before a reconnaissance stage in Jeddah, December 29, 2021, 3 days before the start of the Dakar 2022 rally-raid FRANCK FIFE AFP / Archives

Because the question surrounding hydrogen is that of its production.

Diane Strauss, France director of the NGO Transport and Environment (T&E), is skeptical of the technology in the current state of knowledge and of the industry: "supplying a vehicle with hydrogen consumes more energy than for a 100 vehicle. % electric. "

The production of hydrogen is done by electrolysis of water, in order to separate the oxygen from the hydrogen it contains.

This cycle currently requires more energy than it produces.

Competitors in the Dakar rally-raid travel the 6th stage around the capital Riyadhsaoudienne, January 7, 2022 FRANCK FIFE AFP / Archives

But, provided that the energy used at the source is renewable, this sector could provide, in the years to come, a very low emission electricity supply, not only to vehicles but also to the bivouac.

Because, if there is no shortage of projects from the competitors, "our objectives for the race are ambitious", wants to convince the director of the Dakar, David Castera.

However, the caravan does not spare its carbon footprint.

Each move (eight during this edition) is done by plane for the organization, the medical service, journalists ... Flights in Boeing 737-800 are chartered to travel sometimes less than 300 km.

“I will always have airplanes”

Difficult to do otherwise, assures Castera: "I will always have planes but we are aiming for a reduction in emissions, for which we are ensuring full compensation."

The power supply for the 3,500 members of the bivouac is provided by thermal generators running on petrol and diesel.

Dakar rally-raid boss David Castera on the roads of the 11th stage in Bisha, January 13, 2022 FRANCK FIFE AFP

And the logistical feat of bringing this small town to life in the middle of the desert generates significant water consumption in a region that is in dire need of it.

The question of waste also arises, while single-use plastic has tripled with the Covid.

Managed by the Saudi authorities, this packaging, one for each dish or food distributed to the self-service, could in part be recycled.

Dumpsters are provided for this purpose but the inhabitants of the nomadic village hardly use them.

Beyond these technical questions to which answers are still lacking, the very essence of rally-raid, making vehicles evolve in an environment like the desert, will continue to raise questions.

© 2022 AFP