The system to charge hydrogen cars in 30 seconds as if they were Nespresso capsules

In Spain it is betting more and more on electric cars. However, they have autonomy -although They have a solar panel that extends it– and in the loading time its two big drawbacks; which has caused another technology to be gaining more ground: hydrogen. A sector that has presented a hydrogen fuel cell car that works with an ingenious system of removable capsules in the Nespresso style.

[El botón de tu coche que puede ahorrarte gasolina y no conoces: así funciona]

Hydrogen cars are still a minority in the car market, but there are many who consider them to be the real bet for the future. Vehicles that work thanks to a fuel cell in which a chemical reaction occurs when stored hydrogen and oxygen from the outside air are combined, which generates electricity which is supplied directly to the motor.

An expensive technology and one that has as a big problem the lack of a consolidated network of hydrogen generators for refueling. In fact, there are currently only six hydrogen refueling stations in Spain located in Madrid, Zaragoza, Seville, Huesca, Albacete and Ciudad Real, and only two are for public use. The new proposal from NamX, a French startup, offers an interesting alternative: hydrogen capsules that They are removed from the car individually and replaced in less than 30 seconds.

interchangeable capsules

Presented to the public at the Paris Motor Show 2022the company founded by Moroccan entrepreneur Faouzi Annajah and French designer Thomas de Lussac has created NamX HUV (Hydrogen Utility Vehicle), a hydrogen fuel cell electric car designed by the Italian firm Pininfarina and which stands out for being the first in the world to incorporate this innovative system of removable hydrogen capsules.

A method reminiscent of the famous Nespresso coffee machines, where you insert a capsule, press a button and the coffee comes out. In this case, the operation of the French system is similar. The car, on which the firm has been working for five years, has a total of six green hydrogen capsules that offer a duration of 50 kilometers each of them; that in total they make 300 kilometers, which is about the average autonomy of an electric vehicle.

Changing one of these capsules is a process that takes less than half a minute. To do this, the car remote opens the rear compartment of the car where they are stored, which also allows them to be hidden when the car is running. Then, with your own hand -so they should not weigh much- the one that is exhausted is removed to replace it with a new one; and the lid of the vehicle is closed to continue the journey.

In theory, this process It will take place at capsule exchange stations that NamX hopes to launch over the next few years and that they have called CapXstore. In them you can both leave the empty capsule of the car -which takes 4 minutes to charge- or take a new one and, for this, they differ in three colors: the red ones are exhausted, the green ones are full and the yellow ones are those that users can carry.

A person holding a capsule with the car behind.

NamX

Omicron

Although the company also details that NamX customers can receive the capsules at home through a subscription system, in true Nespresso coffee style. In addition to the capsules, the car is equipped with a main tank of liquid hydrogen that is loaded in the classic way through a side fuel hatch and in a hydrogenerator that injects gas at 700 atmospheres and that increases the total autonomy of the vehicle to 800 kilometers; being able to make a long-distance trip without problems.

Two versions of the car

The company claims on its website that the NamX HUV is “the world’s first 100% hydrogen car”, with which they promise to revolutionize the industry and want to “make hydrogen more accessible to our customers and future users of this technology”. A vehicle that It will begin to be marketed in 2025 and will come in two versions: GT and GTH, with a power of 300 CV and rear-wheel drive for the former; and 500 CV and all-wheel drive for the second.

The car running.

NamX

Omicron

A car that, according to its creators, in its most powerful version will be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in just 4.3 seconds and reach a top speed of 249 km/h. At the moment, no further specifications are known about this vehicle, which also shines for its futuristic, minimalist and sporty design; that even has some resemblance to the Tesla.

Regarding the price, the French firm assures that the most basic model will be available for 65,000 euros, although the higher and more powerful versions will be close to 100,000 euros. And they can already be reserved by providing a signal of one thousand euros through the NamX website. As they hit the market, the company is working to build its network of capsule exchange stations.