HIMOINSA Powers the Sahara

HIMOINSA is a Rallye du Maroc (and in Japan too) official power supplier and deploys generators, battery storage systems and lighting towers. The racing may stop at sunset, but for the mechanics, the working day is far from over. For Henk van Leuven, manager of the FPT-powered De Rooy rally team, preparing the trucks for the following day’s racing can mean working long into the night. “The normal maintenance on a truck like ours takes already six hours,” he explains. “Then comes more time to fix damage or whatever else needs to be done.”

What is HIMOINSA doing in the Sahara Desert?

The 2026 Rallye du Maroc attracted 104 FIA cars, eight trucks and 131 FIM motorbike competitors, including some of Rally Raid’s biggest names. Carlos Sainz, Sébastien Loeb and Nasser Al-Attiyah joined a field facing more than 2,200 kilometres of challenging terrain between Agadir and Zagora. The Sahara itself covers over nine million square kilometres – an area almost as large as the entire United States – where extreme heat, dust and remoteness make life difficult for both people and machinery.

Each evening, the race bivouac became a temporary working community. Mechanics repaired vehicles, journalists filed reports and race officials coordinated the following day’s competition. As Official Power Supplier, HIMOINSA’s responsibility extended far beyond displaying its logo around the event. Its team deployed more than 20 pieces of power and lighting equipment, supporting operations at the bivouacs in Agadir and Zagora.

Insights for the Organization of the Rallye du Maroc

“There is no rally without energy. In the middle of the desert, being able to count on HIMOINSA as Official Power Supplier has represented a major step forward, providing reliable power for all our logistics and critical services, where there is no room for failure. HIMOINSA’s globally recognised quality standards have fully met the demands of the event and given us the confidence to keep the entire operation running”, says Marc Coma, Director of the Rallye du Maroc. It was a hands-on partnership, requiring equipment and more than 20 personnel capable of responding to changing demands throughout the event.

“What made this project technically demanding was not just its size, although we deployed more than 20 units and made up to 1 MW of power available. The real challenge was designing an off-grid system capable of adapting to very different loads while operating continuously in heat, dust and remote locations. We combined generators and battery storage because each technology performs a different role. The generators provide the sustained power and reserve capacity the bivouac needs, while the batteries respond immediately to load variations, cover low-demand periods and reduce unnecessary engine running hours. The lighting towers were equally important. Once the competitors arrived, the service areas remained active throughout the night, with mechanics carrying out repairs and preparing the vehicles for the next stage. We needed mobile, autonomous lighting units that could be transported and repositioned quickly, withstand the desert environment and provide safe, reliable illumination”, indicates David Serieys, Event Coordinator of the Rallye du Maroc.

No ordinary day for a generator

At the heart of the operation were HIMOINSA’s mobile power generators, supplying electricity to the facilities that allowed the rally to function. Often found in applications such as rental and construction sites, equipment in this category must contend with more than continuous operation. Dust can compromise cooling systems, high ambient temperatures place additional demands on engines, and fluctuating electrical loads complicate efficient running. Reliability matters, but so do fuel autonomy, ease of transport and accessibility for servicing. In the desert, these are practical considerations. Every refuelling visit and maintenance intervention must be planned around an operation that cannot simply shut down while equipment is attended to.

For HIMOINSA, that focus on dependable power is also reflected in its long-standing relationship with engine manufacturer FPT Industrial. The two companies have worked together for decades, combining FPT’s engine expertise with Himoinsa experience in developing generator sets for demanding applications. The relationship continues today, including the development of Stage V generator technology designed to meet increasingly demanding emissions requirements while delivering the performance and reliability customers expect.

Why batteries make diesel work smarter

Perhaps the most interesting technology at the rally was HIMOINSA’s battery energy storage system. A conventional generator must often be sized to meet the highest anticipated demand, even when actual consumption is considerably lower. This can leave diesel engines running inefficiently for extended periods. Battery storage changes that equation.

HIMOINSA’s EHR technology can store energy and supply electricity during periods of lower demand, allowing generators to operate more efficiently when required and remain switched off at other times. It can also help meet short-duration peaks in demand. The EHR 45/60 model, for example, provides 45 kVA of nominal power and 56.8 kWh of nominal battery capacity, using lithium iron phosphate technology. When properly configured, combining battery storage with diesel generation can reduce engine operating hours, fuel consumption, noise and maintenance demands. It also offers quieter power during periods when large amounts of electricity are unnecessary.

At the Rallye du Maroc, this combination of technologies made available a total of 1 MW of power to the temporary race village, supporting the extensive infrastructure needed to keep the event running.

When the sun goes down… the work begins

Lighting was another critical part of HIMOINSA’s deployment. Long after competitors had finished racing, mechanics were still working on vehicles, often well into the night. Adequate lighting was essential for carrying out repairs safely and keeping the service areas operational. And with welding equipment, compressors and battery-powered tools also depending on electricity, reliable power remained just as important after the racing had stopped.

HIMOINSA’s H-COMPACT+ LED lighting towers are designed with demanding mobile applications in mind. Their compact dimensions and road-approved trailers facilitate transport, while a heavy-duty polyethylene canopy protects the equipment. A two-cylinder Yanmar engine supports efficient operation and extended maintenance intervals. An Automatic Mast Operating Safety System also prevents transport unless the mast is lowered.