This is the new hydrogen SUV with removable tanks from NAMX

The automotive startup NAMX has presented a concept version of its first vehicle. The hydrogen-powered SUV is described as an “HUV” with new exclusive technology and Pininfarina design. The production version of the car will still take at least two years and will not reach the market until 2025. However, NAMX has assured that it will initially be offered in two trim levels.

The first, a base model, will be rear-wheel drive and will produce 24 kW/300 CV. It should be able to reach 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds and continue accelerating to a top speed of 200 km/h. Meanwhile, the GTH version will have four-wheel drive and 410 kW/550 CV. It will be able to reach a top speed of 250 km/h and will hit 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds. Prices for these models will range between €65,000 and €95,000, neither of which sounds particularly revolutionary.

This is the new NAMX hydrogen SUV

The real trick of the HUV lies deep within the vehicle, in its fuel storage. NAMX’s patented technology combines a fixed hydrogen tank and six additional removable capsules to be used as secondary tanks. The startup promises that this will give the vehicle a range of up to 800 km. It also intends to create a distribution network for its removable capsules.

These tanks were a primary concern for Pininfarina, which first had to ensure that their use was integrated into the vehicle’s design. Beyond that, however, Pininfarina has revealed that it worked with NAMX to ensure the HUV is a “next-generation” vehicle that does not lose touch with the past.

The brand wanted to add that “fascinated by science fiction, [NAMX co-founder] Thomas de Lussac chose to give the vehicle’s shape the cutting edge of the next era. His taste for American design of the 1950s and 1960s, and his predilection for ‘Muscle Cars’, inspired him to create a car that goes against the current smooth, conventional design of electric cars.”

Together with Pininfarina’s help, the startup is led by a group of automotive industry veterans with experience at companies such as Matra and Renault, among others. Development of the HUV is scheduled to begin in 2023, and it will make its physical debut at the Paris Motor Show taking place next autumn.