The Lotus Evija, Rimac C_Two, and Tesla Roadster form a new generation of absurdly powerful electric hypercars that will each generate well over 1,000 horsepower and offer even faster acceleration times than their combustion counterparts thanks to their instantly available torque. However, some companies believe hydrogen power is the future.
Last year, the Hyperion XP-1 debuted as the world's first hydrogen-powered hypercar, capable of hitting 220 mph while offering an impressive range of 1,000 miles. And now there's another hydrogen-powered hypercar in development. It's called the Apricale, which is in development by UK technology startup Viritech.
No specifications have been released, but Viritech claims the "world's first production hydrogen hypercar" will "challenge the world's fastest battery hypercars." That's a bold claim, suggesting the Apricale will have over 1,000 hp and a top speed of over 200 mph. Only 25 examples of the Apricale are planned for production, so it will be an even rarer sight on the road than its battery-electric rivals. It will also be more exclusive than the Hyperion XP-1, which is limited to 300 examples.
To reduce weight and optimize performance, the hydrogen storage tank is made from graphene and is incorporated into the chassis. The Apricale's platform and powertrain will be developed at the MIRA Technology Park in Nuneaton, England.
"Becoming a member of the HORIBA MIRA community is a game-changer for Viritech, moving us immediately into the big-league in terms of the engineering facilities and support, meaning no engineering project is now beyond us," said Timothy Lyons, CEO & Founder of Viritech. "The hydrogen revolution will complement mobility electrification and will account for 400 million cars, 20 million trucks and 5 million buses. And that revolution starts here."
Viritech plans to build a prototype of the hydrogen hypercar in 2022 before production of the Apricale begins in 2023. Apricale is aiming to sell between eight and 12 cars per year.
Viritech wants to use the Apricale as a technology showcase to help the company become the "world's leading supplier of hydrogen powertrain solutions," with the aim to sell storage tanks control units and powertrains to other manufacturers in the automotive, marine, and aerospace industry. As well as the Apricale, Viritech is also working on an hydrogen-powered SUV called the Tellaro and a semi-truck called the Jovian.
"We're delighted to be able to support the automotive industry's transformation across all of the challenges of electrification, connectivity & autonomy and alternative fuels and nothing could be more emblematic of the industry's ambition than Viritech's Apricale," said Jack Bartlett, Head of Commercial & Partnerships at MIRA Technology Park.
"We're able to provide three key benefits; deep domain expertise in all aspects of automotive engineering, which means innovators are not hidebound by the cost or time constraints of developing their own capabilities; our flexible facilities allow companies to grow without relocating and as our cluster of automotive innovators builds momentum alongside the established titans of the industry, the ability to attract and retain skilled talent that powers that growth is unmatched. We trust these peerless MIRA Technology Park qualities will serve the Viritech mission well."