Alpine has unveiled the Alpenglow Hy4, a hydrogen-combustion supercar that will likely be used to develop the expertise for future highway and observe vehicles.
An evolution of the Alpenglow concept proven two years in the past, it tomorrow makes its dynamic debut at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium as a showcase of the efficiency potential of the rising expertise.
It is powered by a brand new turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine mentioned to be unrelated to the A110’s. Hydrogen is drawn from three tanks, every carrying 2.1kg of the fuel at 700 bar of stress. This is then injected into the cylinders at 40 bar alongside a sprig of water that’s mentioned to scale back poisonous NOx emissions.
The powerplant can rev to 7000rpm – 200rpm greater than its restrict within the top-rung A110 R – and sends as much as 335bhp by means of a sequential gearbox. Performance is alleged to be corresponding to its petrol counterpart.
To accommodate the system, Alpine has tweaked the Alpenglow’s proportions in contrast with the 2022 idea. It sits barely greater and the crash construction has been reworked to suit two occupants, as an illustration, and the sidepods now host the hydrogen tanks.
The automotive will perform demonstration runs at a number of high-profile occasions, informing the event of an all-new hydrogen-powered V6 that’s below means at Alpine. That engine is earmarked to exchange the Alpenglow’s current four-pot by the tip of this 12 months and can most certainly energy the corporate’s entrant for the 2027 version of the Le Mans 24 Hours – the primary 12 months that hydrogen-combustion vehicles will likely be allowed to compete. Alpine mentioned it’s “paying close attention” to such regulation adjustments throughout motorsport.
The model additionally steered that the V6 may even be certain for its future highway vehicles. Bruno Famin, vice-president of Alpine Motorsports, mentioned: “As a part of our lively participation in decarbonising motorsports, we see the hydrogen inside combustion engine as a particularly promising resolution.
“We know that hydrogen will likely be an important step in decarbonising the subsequent generations of endurance vehicles and may be for Formula 1 vehicles, significantly by switching to liquid storage for higher compactness and efficiency.
