Exotic carmaker Hyperion’s announcement of production readiness for its first model has brought an energy dream into sharp focus. The model is the XP-1. The car’s fascinating carbon/titanium exterior and blistering speed and quickness is only the prologue to its story. What it represents is something far more important, because this capable-looking hypercar is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.
The fuel cell car had a little flurry of R&D investment earlier in this century, with Toyota and Honda among major automakers producing models. But despite the fact that the hydrogen fuel cell has been the foundation of the dream of green energy utopia for decades, and that thousands of fuel cell cars have been sold in California in the last decade, the lack of a ready refueling infrastructure has been one of the obstacles preventing general adoption on par with plug-in EVs. Hyperion is starting their HFC lineup with the XP-1, which is the product of a decade of work. But they have also answered the question of refueling by developing a plan for a charging network.
Plug-in electric cars are the best way we currently have of cleaning up the air and mitigating the effect road-going ICE-based emissions have on global heating, and the more of them that take to the road during the next decade, the better. But it’s important to bear in mind that PEVs depend on fossil fuels, even as they use less of them getting from A to B. And burning fossil fuels was an energy solution for the 19th century which has been dragged like a moldering carpet bag into the 21st. Hyperion’s hypercar is a halo car for a nearly pollutant-free energy solution generally. It brings the hydrogen fuel cell car back into the public eye.
That alone makes the XP-1’s appearance significant. As does its 1,000-mile range, and the fact that, unlike even a quick-charge PEV, it can be refueled and back on the road in the time it takes to fill up with gas. Of course, the XP-1 can also nudge the speedometer past 220 MPH. That’s significant as well, especially if you happen to be behind the wheel during the trip.
