Hydrogen Cars Era is Coming

When we think of zero-emissions cars, we naturally think of electric cars in general, and Tesla in particular.

There's a lot to like about electric cars but there is actually another option though it has not taken off in a big way yet. What is it? Hydrogen cars.

What a lot of people don't realise is that hydrogen-powered cars are already in the market.

Here's the Honda Clarity, Hyundai Nexo and Toyota Mirai — all of which are available in the United States.

So far, only about 8,000 of them have been sold. So it's a niche market. Not surprisingly, hydrogen filling stations are a rarity. There are fewer than 50 of them in the US, and almost all are in California.

The introduction of the Hyperion XP-1 supercar might change public perception of hydrogen-powered cars. Hyperion was supposed to launch the vehicle in April at the New York motor show but the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Fast forward about four months later and the XP-1 has been launched, albeit online.

This is what we know about the hydrogen-powered supercar that uses technology originally developed for American space agency NASA.

The car looks out of this world. It truly has a space-age look to it, outside and inside. It's certainly very attractive, especially with its V-Wing doors.

Its glass cockpit, with its curved display and gesture control for most features, makes it seem like a spaceship. This is quite befitting the company's slogan: "Space technology for the road."

The body is made from a carbon composite with strands of titanium woven through it for added strength. The weight of the car is just above 1,000kg, which is pretty light for a supercar.

It has a hydrogen fuel cell that powers a pair of electric motors, which drives all four wheels of the car.

On the outside of the car, there are "air blades" on the side that contain solar panels. These panels can change their position to track the sun.

In terms of performance, the XP-1 is supposed to be able to go from 0 to 96km/h in under 2.2 seconds, with a top speed of over 350km/h.

It can go for an impressive 1,600km on a full tank. It only takes three to five minutes to refill the tank.

Best of all, because the hydrogen combines with oxygen in the fuel cell to create electricity, the only emission from its exhausts will be water vapour.

As for safety, Hyperion CEO Angelo Kafantaris assures that there is absolutely no danger to its carbon fibre tanks leaking. "You can throw our tanks off a building or shoot them with a high-powered rifle. They won't rupture."

So far so good. There is one major challenge — the lack of hydrogen-fuelling stations.

Hyperion plans to address this in the same way that Tesla has done for its electric cars, which is to build its own refuelling stations.

The company has yet to reveal the price for the car, which it expects to roll out sometime in early 2022.

Report this Page