In a bid to convey an finish to reliance on polluting fossil fuels and reduce down tailpipe carbon emissions, automakers are experimenting with varied new varieties of power sources, from high-capacity batteries to hydrogen and artificial fuels. Only high-capacity battery know-how has made the reduce up to now in reaching mass manufacturing. At some firms, work is on to assume past battery-powered electrical automobiles and take a good cleaner path to carbon neutrality with hydrogen applied sciences.
Hyperion, a startup headquartered in California, plans to launch a futuristic hypercar that’s radical when it comes to each design and propulsion know-how. Called Hyperion XP-1, this hypercar runs on hydrogen and is in some ways higher than battery-powered zero-emission hypercars just like the Rimac Nevera that set 23 world records in a single day in 2023, the Pininfarina Battista, and the Lotus Evija.
Established firms like Toyota, BMW, and Hyundai, which already provide or plan to launch hydrogen cars sooner or later, have taken a multi-prong strategy to zero-emission automobiles. For these firms, battery electrical know-how is the highest precedence. Hyperion, nonetheless, develops solely hydrogen automobiles and hydrogen infrastructure. Here are some enjoyable information concerning the XP-1, the corporate’s hydrogen-powered hypercar:
Hyperion XP-1: Everything We Know So Far
With over 2,000 horsepower and 1,000 miles of vary, the Hyperion XP-1 paints a near-ideal picture of hydrogen fuel-cell know-how.
In order to provide the most recent and correct info potential, the info used to compile this text was sourced from varied producer web sites and different authoritative sources, together with Robb Report, How To Geek, and The Columbus Dispatch.
1 It Features A Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powertrain
Some automakers have begun improvement of a brand new sort of hydrogen car, one with an inner combustion engine. The Hyperion XP-1, however, incorporates a hydrogen gas cell system, which is a comparatively confirmed know-how.
How Does It Work?
The Hyperion XP-1’s gas cell system passes hydrogen gas saved in tanks and oxygen from the air by means of a gas cell stack. The chemical response of hydrogen and oxygen generates electrical energy, and the one by-product of this course of is water vapor.
Hyperion has geared up the XP-1 with aero blades that comprise photo voltaic panels and transfer within the path of the solar. The photo voltaic panels energy the automobile’s electronics, Supercar Blondie presenter, Alexandra Mary Hirschi, stated in her video that includes the XP-1. Thus, the photo voltaic panels haven’t any reference to the automobile’s powertrain. Solar-powered automobiles are nonetheless a distant dream as a result of, amongst different causes, they’re too costly, as seen in Lightyear 0’s case.
2 It Has A NASA Connection
Developed over practically a decade, the XP-1 incorporates NASA know-how, Hyperion stated when it introduced the car in August 2020. The firm says it really works on spaceflight know-how pioneered by NASA and makes use of the identical in XP-1, which is one among its varied industrial functions. The firm cites high-tech hydrogen techniques and high-performance supplies as examples of the identical however solely goes into little element.
Was NASA Involved In The Development? – CEO Explains
Speaking to Robb Report in 2020, Hyperion CEO, Angelo Kafantaris, explained what the corporate meant when it stated the XP-1 options NASA know-how. He stated that the corporate developed key applied sciences for the automobile with NASA veterans and cited the wings containing photo voltaic panels for example. His phrases indicated that, in contrast to what the press announcement urged, neither NASA nor any of its proprietary technologies had involvement on this hypercar challenge.
The Hyperion XP-1 Looks Oddly In Place On the Streets of Hollywood
The hypercar was noticed in dual-tone camouflage throughout a road photoshoot
3 The XP-1 Weighs Just Over 2,000 Pounds
One of the key benefits of hydrogen-powered cars over BEVs is that they’re considerably lighter. Australian automotive cooperative Capricorn claims the Hyperion XP-1 weighs simply over 1,000 kilograms (2,205 kilos). In comparability, the Rimac Nevera ideas the dimensions at 2,300 kilograms (5,071 kilos).
What Makes XP-1 Extremely Light?
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) sometimes don’t have a whole lot of high-capacity batteries like BEVs. According to Capricorn, the XP-1, in contrast to a typical hydrogen FCEV, has supercapacitors as an alternative of batteries. Hyperion has made use of ultra-lightweight supplies like carbon-fiber and titanium for the monocoque chassis of the XP-1.
Lightweight development sometimes offers a automobile higher dealing with and allows you to have extra driving pleasure. Lower weight additionally means faster braking, which is able to instill extra confidence in you throughout dynamic driving. Hypercars can’t substitute every day commuters for apparent causes. Still, with the out there weight at disposal, firms can freely load them with consolation and comfort options to make them as sensible and pleasing in regular use as potential. Hyperion equips the XP-1 with a glass cover and a big, 100-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
4 It Can Sprint To 60 mph From A Standstill In Around Two Seconds
The Hyperion XP-1 sports activities not one however 4 electrical motors, and these are not any odd motors however futuristic axial-flux motors, that are considerably lighter and smaller than standard motors. Thanks to its quad-motor powertrain, which produces a colossal 2,038 horsepower, the XP-1 is blisteringly fast. It has a 0-60 MPH acceleration time of simply 2.2 seconds, which places it within the league of the world’s quickest automobiles. For a hydrogen automobile, particularly, that’s fairly an achievement.
It Is As Quick As A Few Production Vehicles
Accelerating from a standstill to 60 MPH in shut to 2 seconds was an enormous feat when Hyperion launched the XP-1 in the summertime of 2020. A 12 months later, Tesla made that type of straight-line efficiency accessible to the lots with the Tesla Model S Plaid. The battery-powered electrical sedan takes simply 1.99 seconds (with rollout subtracted) to achieve from 0 to 60 MPH, and it prices simply $89,990, not tens of millions of {dollars} like a hypercar.
If you’re a buyer who settles for nothing however crème de la crème, there are higher choices. The Rimac Nevera is way quicker than the Hyperion XP-1, with a 0-60 MPH dash taking simply 1.74 seconds (with a one-foot rollout subtracted). Its Italian sibling, the Pininfarina Battista, formally achieved the identical acceleration in simply 1.79 seconds on the Dubai Autodrome in November 2022!
Hyperion’s Hydrogen EV Hypercar is a Collection of Crazy Numbers
The Hyperion XP-1 guarantees to mix nice Performance and lengthy Range
5 The XP-1 Is Capable Of Touching Speeds Of Over 200 MPH
The novelty doesn’t fade off while you hit 60 MPH, because the Hyperion XP-1 can maintain the thrill on for for much longer. The hypercar has a claimed high pace of over 220 MPH! That’s a exceptional degree of efficiency for a hydrogen automobile.
Again, as a lot because the efficiency of the Hyperion XP-1 sounds spectacular from a hydrogen automobile perspective, it’s not the most effective on the market within the section. The aforementioned Croatian and Italian twins, restricted to 150 items every, ship much better efficiency within the top-speed facet as effectively. The Rimac Nevera, which ranks no.1 on the record of the world’s fastest electric cars, can obtain a high pace of 258 MPH, whereas the Pininfarina Battista maxes out at 217 MPH. The “For The Drivers” Lotus Evija, which affords much more exclusivity with a gross sales restriction of 130 items, is able to 218 MPH.
6 A Range Of 1,000 Miles
One of the most crucial advantages of hydrogen FCEVs over BEVs is a considerably greater driving vary. They’re significantly lighter, to allow them to extract rather more driving vary from their power supply. Battery-powered hypercars lag far behind.
The Hyperion XP-1’s most laudable functionality is its driving vary – 1,000 miles. Of course, that’s solely a goal at this level, but when Hyperion manages to realize that within the manufacturing model, it’ll be a significant breakthrough within the ZEV house. In that case, you’ll be capable to drive it from Los Angeles to San Francisco and are available again with no refueling cease and nonetheless have sufficient vary left to cowl your every day commutes for every week.
No BEVs Can Match It… For Now
The Rimac Nevera has an EPA-est. vary of 305 miles, and its platform-mate, the Pininfarina Battista, is shut, with 300 miles. The Lotus Evija is far more disappointing, with a spread of 250 miles (as per the WLTP Cycle).
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7 It Can Be Refueled Quickly
Hydrogen FCEVs provide you with a refueling experience similar to fossil-fuel-powered ICE vehicles. The Hyperion XP-1 takes simply three to 5 minutes for refueling, which is near pumping up the gasoline tank of a traditional hypercar.
It’s Not All Roses
There is a matter with the practicality of the Hyperion XP-1, although, and it’s an enormous one – discovering a close-by hydrogen gas station. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are solely 59 hydrogen gas stations within the nation, 58 in California and one in Hawaii. As an answer for its super-rich shoppers, Hyperion has launched Hyper:Fuel Mobile Stations that may refuel hydrogen FCEVs and likewise recharge BEVs. To add gas to the fireplace (pun meant), Shell introduced it’s closing all its seven hydrogen stations in California.
BEV Rivals Have Their Own Trade-off
Apart from low vary, BEVs have the downside of a protracted wait time to replenish their power supply. Their batteries take a number of hours for a full charging session with an AC charger. With a DC charger, you’ll be able to attain from zero to 80-percent SoC in underneath half an hour. The Rimac Nevera’s batteries, which have a excessive working voltage of 730 volts, take 22 minutes for a similar. The Pininfarina Battista’s batteries take near 22.5 minutes for a 20- to 80-percent charging session utilizing a DC charger.
8 It Will Be Made In The U.S.
Hyperion plans to manufacture the XP-1 in the U.S., however the firm hasn’t clearly said the place precisely. It has an R&D facility in Orange, California, the place it does large-scale prototyping of automotive, power, and aerospace merchandise and a producing facility in Columbus, Ohio, which it says is an “epicenter for all stationary and mobile power-systems.”
The Ohio manufacturing web site will roll out the XP-1’s gas cell stack, which is able to measure roughly the dimensions of an inner combustion engine of a automobile however have a flat and roughly 9 inches excessive construct, The Columbus Dispatch said in a report on February 1, 2022. One day earlier, Kafantaris had stated in a convention that Hyperion plans to fabricate “the majority” of the hydrogen hypercar there, however it would conduct the automobile’s meeting elsewhere, as per the report.
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9 Only 300 Examples To Be Produced
The Hyperion XP-1 won’t be a high-volume automobile, which is usually the case for hypercars. Its availability will likely be restricted, nevertheless it received’t be extraordinarily uncommon just like the Lotus Evija and even the Rimac Nevera and Pininfarina Battista. Hyperion plans to make 300 items of this mannequin, and it’s but to announce the pricing.
XP-1 Not The Main Business For Hyperion
Hyperion’s core focus is on revolutionary power storage know-how, not the automotive enterprise, Kafantaris stated in the course of the aforementioned convention. He added that the XP-1 is a way to inform a narrative, as folks can relate to automobiles. Hydrogen automobiles aren’t an enormous enterprise for even mainstream automakers in the meanwhile, be it Toyota or Hyundai. Toyota delivered only 2,737 units of the Mirai in the U.S. in 2023, whereas Hyundai’s Nexo recorded simply 241 deliveries.
10 No Word On When It Will Arrive
When Hyperion launched the XP-1 in August 2020, it revealed that it deliberate to fabricate the XP-1 beginning in 2022. It’s 2024 already, and the corporate nonetheless hasn’t kicked off manufacturing. It is but to announce a brand new begin of manufacturing timeline.
The Fuel Cell Stack Is The Reason Behind The Delay
A more moderen report from November 1, 2023, indicated that the reason behind the delayed Hyperion XP-1 launch is its fuel cell stack. The firm wished to begin the manufacturing of the gas cell stack in 2023, nevertheless it needed to postpone due to provide chain points, as per the report. The native publication cited Vice President Monique Loustaunau stating 2024 as the brand new timeline for limited-series manufacturing graduation. The firm hasn’t made any announcement concerning the XP-1 SOP or launch timeline this 12 months.
