Photo: S. Baldauf / G. ten Brink
One year and a half ago, in Paris, during the Viva Technology week, a French car manufacturer named Hopium unveiled the Machina Alpha 0, a prototype of a hydrogen-powered sports sedan. Now, in October 2022, the same manufacturer brought a more advanced version of the Machina to the 2022 Paris Motor Show.
We are writing about a hydrogen-powered car with sporty ambitions, as it comes with a peak output of 500 metric horsepower (493 hp). Its range is claimed to be “over 620 miles (ca. 998 km),” while refueling only takes about three minutes or so because it uses 700-bar hydrogen tanks. The latter two are stored in the floor of the vehicle, in the form of long tubes.
The four-door notchback comes with four individual seats, and it has concealed door handles, as well as cameras instead of side-view mirrors. Its interior is also futuristic, with a larger glass roof that can be made opaque with the touch of a button.
The top speed of the Hopium Machina is 143 mph (ca. 230 kph), while its weight is just under two tons (4,409 pounds). While it is described as a hydrogen sportscar, we are going to stick to the prototype designation for now, because there is no mention of when production should start - although the manufacturer has 1,000 pre-orders ever since last summer.
The supplier of the technology has not been mentioned, but it is clear that this is not a home-brewed machine, as developing a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is not exactly something that a start-up company can afford to do.
The exhibit in question is a more advanced prototype than what was shown last year, but it is still not a production model. It is not clear whether the Machina will become a production car that people will be able to buy, especially since there is not much information about it or its development team at the moment.
We do know that the company was founded by Oliver Lombard, who is a race car driver who won the LMP2 category at the 2011 Le Mans 24-Hour race. In case you had any dreams of becoming rich as a racing driver, you should know that the prize money will not help you fund a vehicle manufacturing company.
The four-door notchback comes with four individual seats, and it has concealed door handles, as well as cameras instead of side-view mirrors. Its interior is also futuristic, with a larger glass roof that can be made opaque with the touch of a button.
The top speed of the Hopium Machina is 143 mph (ca. 230 kph), while its weight is just under two tons (4,409 pounds). While it is described as a hydrogen sportscar, we are going to stick to the prototype designation for now, because there is no mention of when production should start - although the manufacturer has 1,000 pre-orders ever since last summer.
The supplier of the technology has not been mentioned, but it is clear that this is not a home-brewed machine, as developing a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is not exactly something that a start-up company can afford to do.
The exhibit in question is a more advanced prototype than what was shown last year, but it is still not a production model. It is not clear whether the Machina will become a production car that people will be able to buy, especially since there is not much information about it or its development team at the moment.
We do know that the company was founded by Oliver Lombard, who is a race car driver who won the LMP2 category at the 2011 Le Mans 24-Hour race. In case you had any dreams of becoming rich as a racing driver, you should know that the prize money will not help you fund a vehicle manufacturing company.
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