Viritech Apricale - the first hydrogen-powered hypercar in the world

British start-up Viritech has previewed its new Apricale – the first hydrogen-powered hypercar in the world.

Limited to just 25 examples and with an estimated cost of more than AUD$2.5 million, the Apricale is expected to go into production in 2023.

Development of the revolutionary hypercar is taking place in the UK at MIRA Technology Park in Warwickshire, a remarkable place for the transportation industry that’s also occupied by companies like Aston Martin, Bentley and Jaguar Land Rover, to name just a few.

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Little is known about the Apricale, but Viritech is claiming performance to be in the realm of 820kW, and driving range is said to be in excess of 800 kilometres, which will put it in a pretty rarefied atmosphere amongst its contemporaries.

The hypercar will employ a graphene composite pressure vessel to store its particularly volatile fuel source, which will also act as an integral component of the car’s presumed carbon monocoque structure.

Aesthetically, the Apricale looks fierce, albeit a touch derivative and homogeneous in the hypercar space – low scuttle, mid-engine layout, masses of aero componentry – you get the picture.

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Viritech is also planning to sell the same hydrogen fuel cells that will power the Apricale to third parties in the automotive, marine and aeronautical sectors.

According to reports, Matt Faulks, co-founder of Viritech, decided against battery power for the Apricale because lithium-ion battery packs are too heavy, and there are too many raw materials used in the manufacturing process of said batteries.