Alpine Alpenglow Concept Debuts With Hydrogen Combustion Engine

The radical showcar has many transparent components, including the rear spoiler.

By: Adrian Padeanu

Oct 13, 2022 at 2:53am ET

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"The future of Alpine, today" – is how we would describe the Alpenglow, a radically styled concept car serving as a preview of what's to come from Renault's performance arm. Arriving next week at the Paris Motor Show, the low-slung concept has a dramatic design and lightweight construction to mirror the A110, although technical specifications have not been disclosed. We do know it makes use of recycled carbon to diminish the environmental impact.

The powertrain is rather interesting as it shows a combustion engine can be carbon neutral provided it runs on hydrogen. Much like Toyota aims to keep the ICE alive in the zero-emissions era, Alpine believes battery-powered and fuel-cell EVs can peacefully coexist alongside hydrogen-fueled vehicles powered by a combustion engine. The necessary juice is stored in two cylindrical tanks at 700 bar, and we're being told the Alpenglow produces "practically nothing besides steam and riveting engine roars."

Alpine Alpenglow concept

Beyond the innovative powertrain, the concept stands out courtesy of its transparent rear active spoiler. In fact, the pedals, steering wheel's paddles, the triangles housing the hydrogen, and sections of the hood are also see-through. The light signature at both the front and rear will be applied to subsequent Alpine models, while the overall design foretells the LMDh race car coming for the 2024 season.

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The wild Alpenglow rides on interesting wheels designed to mimic snowflakes and these too have a transparent surface. France's idea of a Batmobile is quite large, stretching at more than five meters (nearly 197 inches) long and over two meters (almost 79 inches) wide while being less than one meter (39 inches) high for what Alpine describes as being "a dream car's proportions."

There are no plans to launch a hydrogen-fueled ICE model in the near future. Instead, the automaker's product roadmap in the electric era that starts in 2025 includes three battery-powered vehicles: a hot hatch version of the revived Renault 5 supermini, a GT X-Over crossover, and a new sports car co-developed with Lotus to indirectly replace the A110.