The Hopium Machina aims to become the world's first luxury car powered by hydrogen

French racing driver Olivier Lombard has unveiled the Hopium Māchina, which aims to become the world’s first hydrogen-powered luxury car. Announced as a “real technological breakthrough”, the Hopium Māchina is an elegant saloon featuring distinctive headlights, a nose that protrudes from the front and a mesh-style lower air intake. The cutting-edge styling continues towards the rear, as the model has a fluid bodywork, aerodynamic wheels and what appear to be flush-mounted door handles. The Hopium Māchina also has an elegant windscreen, muscular rear wings, a panoramic glass roof and what we assume are side mirrors with video cameras.

The rear features a flush-mounted boot set above a vented rear fascia. The model also has elegant rear lights and vents that will likely prevent air from building up in the rear wheel arches. Little is known about the car at this point, but Hopium said it will have around 500 CV and a range of nearly 1,000 km. Since it runs on hydrogen, the refuelling process will take only three minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxQRdmvN1y8

Hopium Machina, hydrogen arrives at the pinnacle of luxury

The company also said the Hopium Māchina will be carbon-neutral and will combine “performance, connectivity, safety and ergonomics”. Hopium went on to say the model will have “unique luxury and a sporty interior design”. The company’s first prototype will be unveiled within a year and production will begin in 2026. That is a long way off, but Hopium said the Hopium Māchina will be manufactured in France and offered in a range of markets, including China, Europe, Japan, South Korea and the United States.

Additional details are limited, but Lombard founded Hydrogen Motive Company earlier this year and Hopium is its car division. HMC aims to become a leader in hydrogen technology and plans to “get involved in innovative projects that will lead to a hydrogen-based society”. Part of this effort includes the launch of Hopium, which they announced as their “defining first step”.

Some official sources are beginning to compare the French Hopium Machina with models such as the Tesla Model S or the Lucid Air. Olivier Lombard, winner of the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans in the MLP2 class, has pointed out that the brand can draw on his experience in the field of hydrogen fuel cells. In fact, the Frenchman works as a test driver for the Swiss project called GreenGT. This programme aims to develop a racing car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Ambitious, the new French brand can therefore rely on a well-developed technology, even if its application to the world of production cars has not yet been validated.