Hopium gets order for 10,000 hydrogen cars
French start-up Hopium already showed an almost production-ready version of the Machina at the Paris Motor Show in early October 2022. The show did the company no favors. It led to a pre-order for 10,000 copies. This ensures the planned production start in 2025.
Production start of hydrogen car
The deal closed with Agilauto, a company that is part of Crédit Agricole and is in the business of selling and financing cars in France. For Hopium, the deal is a welcome boost to actually get planned production off the ground by 2025. Indeed, with this order, the first French manufacturer of hydrogen cars is assured of financial backing. Crédit Agricole is playing a role in this deal as a financier for companies and corporate drivers who want to ride the Machina.
Hydrogen Motive Company
Hopium is the automotive division of the Hydrogen Motive Company (HMC) that French racing driver Olivier Lombard founded in the early 2020s. The 1991-born Frenchman won the famous Le Mans 24-hour race (LMP2 class) in 2011 with a Zytek Z11SN, a race car equipped with a 4.5-liter V8 gasoline engine from Nissan.
Very luxurious hydrogen car
The Hopium Machina is one of the world’s first luxury hydrogen cars, according to the manufacturer. This is a streamlined sedan with an avant-garde design. Striking features include huge wheels, sharply drawn lamp units and a flowing body shape. The door handles are recessed into the body. In the front is a fuel cell that converts hydrogen to water and supplies electricity to the electric motor.
Range of up to 1,000 kilometers
According to Hopium, the Machina produces an output of 386 kW/500 hp. The range is around 1,000 kilometers, the French brand says. Hydrogen refueling takes only three minutes. According to Hopium, the hydrogen car offers the ultimate combination of performance, connectivity, safety and ergonomics. A first prototype was built in mid-2021. Soon after, the first 1,000 pre-orders were recorded, so now another 10,000 pre-orders are being added.
Le Mans
For Hopium, fuel cell technology does not come out of the blue. Owner Olivier Lombard is a test driver for the Swiss project GreenGT, which includes the development of a hydrogen-powered race car. And eventually that car must compete in the Le Mans 24-hour race.
