In 2022, French carmaker, Alpine launched the Alpenglow Hy4, the world’s first water-based hydrogen combustion engine, offering a convincing alternative to traditional battery-electric vehicles and established hydrogen fuel cell designs. More than just a high-performance machine, the Alpenglow Hy4 demonstrated that the next generation of clean transport might be powered not by electricity alone, but by a hydrogen combustion process linked to water, a resource that is both abundant and renewable.
Alpine then raised the stakes at the 2024 Paris Motor Show with the Alpenglow HY6, equipped with an all-new Hy6 twin-turbo V6 engine, also developed to run on hydrogen. The Hy6 doubles the power of the last Alpenglow and the new car not only looks like an extreme track-only supercar, it performs and sounds like one too.
Engineering ambition
At the heart of the HY6 is a hydrogen engine based on Alpine’s motorsport heritage. It’s a turbocharged inline-six, optimised for hydrogen combustion with direct injection technology operating at 40 bar pressure. This high-pressure injection ensures efficient atomisation and combustion of the hydrogen-air mixture, helping the engine deliver not only strong performance, but also reduced NOx emissions, which are a challenge with hydrogen ICEs.
The HY6 is capable of producing 300 kW and spinning up to 7000 rpm, giving it the responsiveness and sonic character of a high-performance petrol engine. It can also do 0 to 100 kph in a jaw-dropping 2,32 seconds. The HY6 isn’t just about laboratory numbers, it’s a fully drivable prototype capable of hitting speeds in excess of 270 kph, without consuming fossil fuels.
A new contender in green mobility
For years, electric vehicles from brands like Tesla and BYD have dominated the sustainability field. Meanwhile, Toyota and Hyundai have pushed hard with hydrogen fuel cell technology. But the Alpenglow presents a third option, hydrogen combustion, which combines the low-emission benefits of hydrogen with the robust performance characteristics of traditional internal combustion engines.
Rather than relying on electrochemical reactions like fuel cells, the HY6’s hydrogen engine burns hydrogen in a modified combustion cycle. This approach gives high power outputs, fast refuelling and the feel and sound of a traditional engine, with sound, revs and mechanical feedback. For enthusiasts and engineers, this blend of tradition and innovation is compelling. More importantly, if produced with green hydrogen the powertrain can operate with near-zero carbon emissions.
While there is no confirmed production date for the HY6, Alpine says that this is not merely a showpiece. The prototype is part of the brand’s wider exploration into clean propulsion, suggesting that hydrogen combustion could play a central role in its long-term strategy, possibly even alongside battery-electric models.
Hydrogen under pressure
Efficient onboard hydrogen storage remains one of the key engineering hurdles for hydrogen-powered vehicles. Alpine addresses this in the HY6 with multiple high-pressure tanks, each rated to 700 bar, strategically mounted in the vehicle’s architecture within the sidepods and behind the driver. This layout ensures optimal weight distribution, structural safety and sufficient driving range, while maintaining a low centre of gravity. Each tank stores hydrogen in its gaseous form, with the total capacity providing the engine enough energy for extended high-performance driving.
Water at the heart of innovation
The Alpine HY6 demonstrates the growing potential of water-derived energy systems. Hydrogen may be the fuel, but it operates within a sustainable water-hydrogen-water cycle where water is split into hydrogen and oxygen. When the engine burns hydrogen, it returns to water vapour, completing the cycle. This means that water is both the source of the hydrogen fuel and the by-product of its use, effectively making the HY6 part of a closed-loop, water-based energy system. If the hydrogen it runs on is produced through electrolysis, a process that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity, the entire lifecycle of the HY6’s powertrain is nearly carbon-neutral. This allows the HY6 to deliver high-performance driving without relying on fossil fuels, proving that sustainable propulsion can still offer the speed, sound and responsiveness of traditional engines.
A new chapter in clean engineering
For years, the automotive industry has been debating the relative merits of battery-electric power and traditional combustion. The Alpine HY6 offers a third way: hydrogen combustion engineered for sustainability without giving up the character and flexibility of internal combustion engines. With the HY6, Alpine is not just following trends, it’s defining them. The future could be powered by water, and the roar of hydrogen-fuelled power.
For more information visit https://media.alpinecars.com/alpine-presents-alpenglow-hy6-with-the-brands-first-6-cylinder-hydrogen-engine/
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