French hydrogen sedan Hopium Machina hits the road

Announced last October, the sedan hydrogen made in France Hopium Machina materializes with the presentation of a first rolling prototype at the Vivatech trade fair. A crucial step for this new manufacturer automobile and his ambitious boss, Olivier Lombard, professional driver who is also the youngest winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans. He explains that he wanted to put his experience of more than seven years at the wheel of hydrogen racing cars at the service of a general public project.

On paper, theHopium Machina promises a power of 500 hp, a speed peak speed of 230 km / h, a range of 1,000 km and a full tank of hydrogen in three minutes. According to the manufacturer, the prototype called Alpha 0 has already been able to reach 200 km / h during the first tests “on the bench and on the track”. The tankhydrogen of the car is manufactured by the French supplier Plastic Omnium. Specializing in the design of tanks for thermal vehicles, the latter has turned to hydrogen with a vast investment plan of 100 million euros per year to adapt its industrial facilities.

Pre-orders for the Hopium Machina are open

The design of the Hopium Machina was entrusted to Félix Godard, a designer who notably worked on the Tesla Model 3, the Porsche Mission E (prototype of the Porsche Taycan) and the Lucid Air. In its press release, Hopium highlights the light signature of its sedan “whose shape recalls the stratification hydrogen and movement waves on the water surface ”.

A long development work still awaits the Hopium Machina, whose production will not start before 2026. By then, the manufacturer is scheduled to meet in the first quarter of 2022 for a new stage of the project. In the meantime, potential buyers of this hydrogen sedan can register a pre-order with a deposit of 410 euros. The final price of the Hopium Machina will be 120,000 euros.