We’ve seen mostly everything from Pininfarina, the multi-specialist automotive design firm, since their founding in Torino in 1930: not just high-performance cars, but high-speed trains, buses, trams, rolling stocks, automated light rail cars, people movers, yachts, airplanes, and private jets. But at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, in March, the Italian juggernaut unveiled something entirely new: the H2 Speed Concept, a race car powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Now it’s soon to enter production.
The H2 utilizes a novel powering system that breaks down water into its component parts—two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen. The hydrogen is then sent to a fuel cell stack that powers a pair of electric motors, which send at least 503 horsepower to the rear wheels, capable of rocketing the car from 0-60 in just 3.4 seconds. The powertrain was developed by GreenGT, a French company that’s been working in recent years to introduce fuel cells into the racing world.
While many flashy concept prototypes never leave the showroom, It is reported that ten units of the H2 Speed Concept will actually be produced. The track-only production will cost an approximate $2.5 million.