A young French company Hopium has unveiled a luxury car Hopium Machina powered by hydrogen fuel cells as part of the Paris Motor Show 2022. The new model is designed to compete with the most exclusive European sedans.
The giants of the European automotive industry saw the battery electric car as the next step in the evolution of their exclusive sedans. Hopium chose hydrogen. At the same time, it will not be easy to displace the Toyota Mirai from the post of the most popular hydrogen car.
Apart from the difference in the drivetrain, which is a determining factor, Hopium expects that autonomy will indeed be the main key to the new Machina being able to overtake the competition. Hopium Machina will have a range of 1000 km. The company warns that the refueling process can be completed in just three minutes. The new Machina is based on a hydrogen fuel cell power plant with two electric motors developing a total power of 500 hp.
During the development process, the company worked together with Bridgestone. To ensure maximum efficiency, specially manufactured tires with low rolling resistance are installed. Thanks to this power unit, it can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 5 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 230 km/h.
The novelty will have the stamp “Made in France”. In addition, Hopium indicated that all components of the car will be of European origin in order to minimize the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process. The company will create a production center in Normandy, in the north of France. This plant should start operating in 2025.