Forget electric cars, this Alpine sports car runs on something completely different: hydrogen! Instead of a battery, it has a hydrogen combustion engine that burns hydrogen gas to create power. This is similar to how a regular gasoline engine works, but instead of polluting emissions, it mostly releases water vapor.
This isn’t just a crazy idea – Alpine is serious about making hydrogen cars a reality. The Alpenglow Hy4 is a prototype race car that will be competing in endurance races this year. It has a powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that revs up to 7000 rpm! Alpine is also working on an even bigger V6 engine designed specifically for hydrogen.
The Hy4 looks a little different from the original concept car. It has a two-seat cabin now, and the hydrogen tanks are stored on the sides. Alpine plans to use this technology in future road-legal cars – they believe it’s a cleaner and more exciting alternative to electric vehicles.
This idea of burning hydrogen in a combustion engine isn’t new. BMW has been experimenting with it for decades, with hydrogen-powered versions of the 7 Series and even the 5 Series back in the 1970s!