Alpine Alpenglow is radical vision of hydrogen-combustion future

Autocar recently reported that Alpine was "very actively" exploring the use of hydrogen as a means of safeguarding combustion technology. CEO Laurent Rossi told us: "It’s only normal we look at parallel paths - and I say parallel on purpose; the idea is we want to find alternatives that are not necessarily incompatible with electrification, because electrification is – whether we like it or not – the future of automotive for at least 60-70% of the automotive parc.

“For the rest, it will depend on the type of usage, the characteristics, the features you want to have - I’m thinking LCVs with a high payload and fixed trips could afford to use different solutions, or high-output cars."

So far, Alpine has only confirmed plans for three upcoming road cars – a hot hatch based on the 2024 Renault 5, a rakish crossover called the GT-X Over and a follow-up to its flagship Alpine A110 – all using Renault's battery-electric platforms and due by 2027.

But Rossi said: "Hydrogen has the green merit of being very compatible with electrification, because the parallel path to hydrogen as a fuel is hydrogen as a fuel cell, which produces electricity.

"That’s good because the end-to-end industrial path for hydrogen will be compatible with electrification, so we believe that could be one way forward."

He went so far as to hint that Alpine could showcase its hydrogen-combustion vision with a bespoke, track-focused prototype. It is now clear he was referring to the Alpenglow.

Notably, Alpine says this concept is "as lightweight as the rest of the brand's cars", suggesting that even with its two 700-bar cylindrical hydrogen storage tanks running either side of the driver, it weighs in the region of 1000-1200kg – around the same as the A110. Extensive use of recycled carbonfibre in its construction will have played a large role in keeping weight down, and will do too on future cars.

More concrete suggestions of what to expect from future Alpine models come in the form of the concept's defining design cues. Its dramatic front light bar and vertical stacked tail-lights, for example, will adorn its future production cars, and so will a variation of the Alpenglow's LMP1-inspired steering wheel.

Likewise the prevailing focus on aerodynamic efficiency – already confirmed to be a defining tenet of Alpine's future design language – which here is manifested in a sharp, V-shaped front end, huge air channels down the side, a roofline that sits just one metre off the ground and an active, lightweight rear wing, in this instance completely transparent.

Alpine has confirmed that its upcoming LMDh racing prototype will take heavy design inspiration from the Alpenglow.