I understand the worlds infatuation with electric vehicles, and western governments push for what is now proving to be unachievable uptake, but I’m not a fan of the way it’s progressed in a relatively short amount of time and the detriment this haste could cause.
I believe EV’s certainly have a place in the overall picture as do Hybrid and Hydrogen Cell Technology, and heaven forbid that some internal combustion may even be around for many years into the future, so consequently I have an interest in the Alpine Alpenglow project which is a hydrogen-powered concept car that the French automaker Alpine (a part of the Renault Group) unveiled in October 2022 at the Paris Motor Show.
An updated fully functional version of the Alpenglow, named the Alpenglow Hy4, was unveiled in May 2024 at the 2024 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and was described by Alpine as a “rolling lab designed as a racing car”.
In its initial specification, the Alpenglow had a V8 engine running on a ‘Dihydrogen Fuel Cell’ designed by British company Gibson Technology, which developed 880hp of power, however the fully functioning Alpenglow Hy4 is powered by a 2.0 L turbocharged I4 motor that develops 340hp of power.
According to the official Alpine release:
Alpine’s Alpenglow is called Hy4 because it features a 4-cylinder engine adapted to run on hydrogen. It’s an Oreca-based unit that has been modified and to which Alpine has contributed its expertise. This 2-litre engine produces 340 bhp and enables the car to reach a top speed of 270 km/h. But this is merely the first stage a more powerful V6 will also be available.
The Alpenglow Hy4 boasts a sleek design, with a blue colour and reflections thanks to transparent elements symbolising hydrogen and water vapour. Its silhouette is clearly reminiscent of a future hypercar, bridging the gap between racing and the open road.
The V6 cylinder engine is an engine that started with a blank sheet of paper, built around a combustion chamber specifically for hydrogen. It’s a “rolling laboratory” to learn about the technology.
This AutoCar article gives a good insight into the ‘Alpenglow’ as it touches on the transitions from the original concept car being a single seater to a two-seater road car, from the Hy4’s turbocharged 2.0-litre engine to the more powerful and probably driveable V6, and the challenges of developing a hydrogen engine.
Alpine’s hydrogen V6 hypercar could make production – AutoCar
I guess one good thing about the Alpenglow, which is music to the ears of people like me, is there is proof that it actually goes, as this ‘NM225 – Raw Car Sounds’ video shows, all be it with some nervous minders running around it:
Alpine Alpenglow Hy4 with Hydrogen combustion Turbo engine sounds AMAZING
