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Alpine Hy4 Is A Race Car That Burns Hydrogen Instead Of Gasoline

hydrogen car gasoline alpine hy4

Alpine Hy4 Is A Race Car That Burns Hydrogen Instead Of Gasoline.

French sports car maker Alpine has revealed a racing prototype powered by an internal combustion engine that runs on hydrogen instead of gasoline.

Called the Alpenglow Hy4, on account of its hydrogen-powered engine having four cylinders, the one-off car was revealed today and will run for the first time ahead of the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps endurance race in Belgium this weekend. It will also make demonstration runs at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in June.

The Hy4 comes after Alpine presented a hydrogen-powered concept car called the Alpenglow at the 2022 Paris Motor Show. The car serves as a demonstration from Alpine, which is a part of Renault, that future performance cars could offer the sound of a traditional combustion engine, but in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly way.

Electric cars already offer a greener form of motorsport, but battery-powered racers in series like Formula E are criticized by gearheads for lacking the acoustic drama of gas-powered cars. So long as the hydrogen powering it comes from a renewable source, the Hy4 offers a glimpse of what the future of motorsport could look – and sound – like.

The prototype is currently fitted with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder development engine producing 340 horsepower, but Alpine says this is merely a “working phase” before the presentation of an all-new V6 engine the automaker says is “specifically designed to be powered by hydrogen,” and developed entirely in-house. Alpine says this engine will be revealed with a second vehicle before the end of 2024.

Although its first public outing will be at a race track, Alpine describes the carbon-monocoque Hy4 as a car that acts like a “reference to a future hypercar, bridging the gap between racing and the road.” As such, it has a two-seat cockpit and an aesthetic that suggests it could one day appear on both the circuit and the street.

Bruno Famin, vice president of Alpine Motorsports, said:

As part of our active participation in decarbonizing motorsports, we see the hydrogen internal combustion engine as an extremely promising solution.

“We know that hydrogen will be an essential step in decarbonizing the next generations of endurance [race] cars, and could also be for Formula 1 cars, particularly by switching to liquid storage [instead of batteries] for greater compactness and performance.”

That said, not all hydrogen is born equal. So-called gray and blue versions of hydrogen are made using natural gas in a process that produces carbon emissions. However, green hydrogen is considered sustainable as it is made by electrolyzing water with electricity that comes from a renewable source – so, as long as that electricity is clean, in theory so too is the hydrogen.

No one is expecting hydrogen to entirely replace gasoline or battery power, but Alpine exploring another option – and a way of ensuring motorsport keeps its soundtrack in a sustainable way – is no bad thing.

READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central

Alpine Hy4 Is A Race Car That Burns Hydrogen Instead Of Gasoline. source

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