These are the first sketches and renderings of the Hopium Machina, designed by former Porsche, Tesla and Lucid designer Felix Godard.
Hopium is a new French car brand powered by hydrogen. Its CEO, Olivier Lombard, is a former French racing driver who earned his reputation by becoming the youngest ever driver to win the 24-hour Le Mans race in 2011.
The Hopium Machina is a 500 hp carbon-neutral sedan with a 621-mile range and a minimal recharge time of three minutes. The new car combines performance, connectivity, safety, and ergonomics as well as unique luxury and a sporty interior design.
The project began two years ago following a meeting between Godard and Lombard in Los Angeles. “Felix is to be counted among the major talents of his generation. I’ve been following his career progress since Strate College where he was perhaps the outstanding student of his year” says Lombard.
Hopium Machina sketches by Felix Godard
Lombard aims to create a hydrogen automobile model to set the standard for the future. He has been testing hydrogen-powered vehicles for the last seven years and plans to enter the first hydrogen-powered racing car in the 2024 Le Mans 24 hour race. In 2020 he founded the Hydrogen Motive Company (HMC) in France with its automobile division Hopium, where the aim was to develop the first upmarket hydrogen-powered sedan.
Godard took up Lombard’s visionary project with enthusiasm. The result is a streamlined, aerodynamic vehicle created for the long-range. In front, the upward sloping bodywork is specifically designed for the cooling of the fuel cell. “One of the key phases of the development process was to determine our trademark so the headlights call to mind the stratification of a hydrogen module as well as waves on the water.”
Hopium Machina renderings. The prototype will be revealed in 2021
The first prototype of the Hopium Machina will be unveiled before June 2021 and production will begin by 2026. Hopium will begin production in France, its home market, before it extends operations in Europe, China, South Korea, Japan, and the US.
Hopium‘s parent company, HMC, aims to become the European leader in the sector while developing a new, idealistic ecosystem, which will be both technological and institutional. The aim is to bring together all those globally involved in hydrogen while at the same time exploiting the talent of future generations. The group intends to get involved in innovative projects that will lead to a hydrogen-based society.
