- The first rolling version of the Alpine Alpenglow prototype (named Hy4) will be presented at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit on 10 May 2024 before it takes to the track for the first time on 11 May for the sold-out TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps endurance race. It will also make demonstration runs at the 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 14 and 15 June 2024.
- Following on from the Alpine Alpenglow concept car presented at the 2022 Paris Motor Show, the Alpine Alpenglow rolling lab Hy4 proves by running on a racetrack that performance and sustainable development are compatible, with the added thrill of the sound of an internal combustion engine. Its name combines the notion of hydrogen ‘Hy’ and ‘four’ for 4 cylinders.
- Alpine is reconciling environmental innovation and performance through its hydrogen combustion engine technology. This technology offers a new approach to decarbonizing motor racing and a possible avenue for sports cars.
- Alpenglow is currently fitted with a 4-cylinder development engine, a working phase before the presentation of an all-new V6 engine specifically designed to be powered by hydrogen, developed entirely by Alpine. It will be unveiled in a second rolling version before the end of the year.
- The hydrogen-powered Alpine Alpenglow Hy4 prototype further refines its design, like a reference to a future Hypercar, bridging the gap between racing and the road. It now has a two-seater cockpit and adopts several features synonymous with performance, such as a proper racing steering wheel and new wheel rims evoking a sense of speed. Its design also reveals many hints of the brand’s future stylistic evolutions.
Under the spotlights of the 2022 Paris Motor Show, Alpine presented its Alpenglow concept, a veritable manifesto of the brand’s future directions in design and sustainable innovation, the “mother of all future Alpines”. This founder model embodied the brand’s ongoing research into hydrogen-powered combustion engines for sports cars, with the potential for high performance both on the road and in competition, in line with the brand’s ambitious decarbonisation targets. Alpine is therefore ready for possible changes in future regulations.
Today, the Alpine Alpenglow Hy4 is no longer just a concept car but has become a genuine rolling lab designed as a racing car with its carbon monocoque and turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine develops 340 hp.
After a presentation within the confines of the circuit on 10 May, Alpine Alpenglow Hy4 will make its public debut on 11 May 2024 before the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps Endurance Race (FIA WEC) and its 70,000-plus spectators. It will be the perfect opportunity to demonstrate to motorsport enthusiasts how a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine perpetuates the sounds and vibrancy that are the emotional aspects of a racing car. The feeling is intensified by the very spectacular design of the Alpine Alpenglow Hy4, which is further enhanced in this version. Alpine Alpenglow Hy4 will also make demonstration runs during the 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 14 and 15 June 2024.
The significance of the name Alpenglow takes on its absolute meaning with this rolling lab: the optical phenomenon that casts a glowing light over the mountains before sunrise perfectly symbolises the dawn of a new world.
“As part of our active participation in decarbonising motorsports, we see the hydrogen internal combustion engine as an extremely promising solution. We know that hydrogen will be an essential step in decarbonising the next generations of Endurance cars, and could also be for Formula 1 cars, particularly by switching to liquid storage for greater compactness and performance. The Alpenglow prototype perfectly illustrates this, a genuine technological laboratory for developing tomorrow’s hydrogen engines.”
Bruno Famin, VP Alpine Motorsports
Renault Group: a genuine commitment to hydrogen, with complementary technologies
The hydrogen solution is being considered in various ways throughout the Renault Group, contributing to its carbon neutrality objectives in Europe by 2040 and worldwide by 2050.
- With HYVIA (a joint venture with Plug), Renault Group offers a complete and unique ecosystem that includes fuel cell-powered light commercial vehicles, hydrogen recharging stations, fleet financing, and maintenance services.
- Renault Group is also developing hydrogen combustion engines for high-powered extra-urban commercial use and specific sportier purposes.
- The Renault brand is also developing a hybrid technology that combines an electric motor with a hydrogen range extender powered by a fuel cell.
- Alpine firmly believes in the role of motorsport as an accelerator for the development of future mobility technologies. The hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine is a tremendously promising solution for racing and road use. Alongside the rolling hydrogen version of Alpenglow, Alpine is gearing up for some exhilarating times with the launch of seven new electric models between now and 2030, starting this year with the A290, its sporty city car and the first electric model from the Alpine Dream Garage.
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