Alpine’s Hydrogen Hypercar A Rolling Testbed

The Alpine Alpenglow hypercar we featured recently but without any great detail. Now some more key facts have emerged. 

It was first unveiled back in 2022, and then featured a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine. But now it is a hydrogen-powered hypercar concept that produces twice as much power. And that’s thanks to an all-new 3.5-litre, twin-turbo V6 engine…that runs on hydrogen.

The previous petrol mill was good for 254kW at 7000rpm. But the new powerplant for Alpine’s test rig delivers 552kW at 9000rpm and 770Nm of torque. That spins the rear wheels after being processed by a six-speed sequential transmission. 

The vehicle has been under development for two years at Alpine, and intriguingly it runs on hydrogen. The supercar, which has a vaguely Batmobile look about it, can evidently run to almost 330km/h.

Feeding the engine are three 2.1kg hydrogen fuel tanks located in the sidepods and behind the cockpit. 

Alpine says an advantage of hydrogen combustion over a fuel cell system is the sound and driving sensation of an ICE power mill. It also has less cooling requirements and, compared with an EV, a relative lack of weight without the need for a big battery pack.

Despite all that, Alpine will probably go with an electric powertrain for its upcoming models. It is aiming to launch seven EVs by 2030. The Alpenglow is actually a rolling testbed for hydrogen research. The technology may end up in motorsport applications eventually, according to Alpine’s Bruno Famin, VP of Alpine Motorsports.

He said, “The Alpenglow Hy6 concept is the perfect example of what is possible to achieve the essential step of reducing carbon emissions in motorsport.”

The design of the Alpenglow Hy6 has moved on too, reducing weight, and allowing people to see the new engine and its snake-like intake manifold. There’s a new glass cover, the rear spoiler is see-through, and the bridge that formerly connected the rear wings has gone. The exhaust exits through the rear lights.