A British engineering company by the name of Viritech has previewed a hydrogen-powered hypercar it is in the midst of developing.
Dubbed the Apricale, it is being designed primarily as a technical showcase for the company’s hydrogen fuel-cell technology and aims to demonstrate the advantages of hydrogen vehicles over electric powertrains. What this being said, the hypercar will be sold in limited numbers to customers willing to part ways with roughly £1.5 million (~$2 million).
In order to get around the weight of the hardware used in the Apricale’s hardware, it features graphene-reinforced hydrogen pressure vessels that means the hydrogen storage tanks form part of the structure of the chassis to reduce weight and cost, Autocar reports.
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Viritech has yet to release full technical specifications for the Apricale but is said to be targeting 1,100 hp, more than enough to help the car outperform most ICE-powered supercars and hypercars on the market.
Speaking with Autocar, Viritech co-founder Matt Faulks said there are a number of issues with all-electric powertrains.
“You run into two issues when you go down the battery route,” Faulks explained. “One is the ‘mass compounding element’ – the more energy storage you need, the heavier the car gets. The second is the continued use of large amounts of raw materials in building very large battery packs, which are potentially recyclable, but even today we’re struggling to get lithium back out in a way it can be used again.”
Viritech hasn’t said when the Apricale will be ready for production, but does intend on offering its hydrogen fuel cell technology to companies to be used in passenger cars, heavy goods vehicles, boats, and even aircraft.
