Hopium
Product brand
UnclaimedHopium is a French automotive brand founded by racing driver Olivier Lombard to develop hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Hopium is a French automobile brand established in 2019 by Olivier Lombard, a French racing driver and winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category. The company was created around the objective of developing and eventually producing a premium hydrogen-powered passenger car in France. Its project combines a battery-supported electric drivetrain with a hydrogen fuel cell, positioning the brand at the intersection of luxury mobility, clean-energy technology, and French automotive manufacturing. The company's first major vehicle project is the Māchina, later presented in a more developed concept form as the Māchina Vision. The vehicle is intended as a large luxury sedan rather than a mass-market car. Hopium has described a high-performance specification centered on a hydrogen fuel-cell electric powertrain, a claimed 1,000-kilometre range, a 700-bar hydrogen storage system, and a top speed of 230 km/h. The public concept is also defined by a technology-oriented interior and distinctive design features, including four individual seats, a panoramic roof with controlled opacity, and a digital haptic dashboard. The design work was associated with Félix Godard, whose previous experience included Porsche, Tesla, and Alpine. Hopium used partnerships with established automotive suppliers to support the Māchina program. In May 2021, Plastic Omnium announced that it would provide the hydrogen storage system. In October of the same year, Hopium and Saint-Gobain Sekurit announced cooperation on the vehicle's glazing. These agreements reflected the brand's reliance on industrial partners for specialized components rather than vertically integrating every element of the vehicle's technology. The first rolling prototype, called Alpha 0, was shown in June 2021 on the sidelines of the Viva Technology event in Paris. At that time, Hopium opened a reservation program for 1,000 numbered vehicles at a reservation price of €410. The prototype and reservation initiative were intended to demonstrate progress toward a production vehicle and to establish early customer interest. The Māchina Vision was subsequently presented at the 2022 Paris Motor Show. Production was scheduled in the available reference material for 2025, with a proposed price of €120,000, although the sources provided do not establish whether series production began or whether those targets were achieved. Hopium also attracted attention as a newly listed French mobility venture. It entered the Access compartment of Euronext Paris on December 23, 2020. The company later became the subject of governance and public-ethics discussion after Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, who had served as France's transport minister under Prime Minister Jean Castex, joined its board in 2022. France's Haute Autorité pour la transparence de la vie publique concluded that there was no apparent risk of illegal taking of interests in the project, while identifying an ethical risk and calling for supervision of the former minister's activities. Hopium's stated identity is therefore built around a French premium hydrogen vehicle rather than a broad established product portfolio. Its appeal depends on the perceived advantages of hydrogen for long-distance driving, rapid refuelling, and reduced tailpipe emissions, while its commercial challenge is the cost and availability of hydrogen infrastructure, the complexity of fuel-cell vehicle production, and the need to move from prototypes to dependable series manufacturing. On the evidence available here, Hopium remains best described as an automotive development brand whose central product is the proposed Māchina luxury sedan.
History
Hopium was founded in France in 2019 by Olivier Lombard, a racing driver whose background included victory in the LMP2 category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The company was created with the ambition of developing a French hydrogen-powered automobile and establishing a new automotive brand around fuel-cell electric mobility. Its core program became the Māchina, a proposed premium hydrogen sedan intended to combine long-distance capability with electric propulsion. Hopium's approach uses a hydrogen fuel cell together with an electric battery and motor. The vehicle was conceived as a technology demonstrator and luxury product, with a focus on performance, range, advanced materials, and a digital interior. Félix Godard was associated with the design of the project; his prior design experience included work connected with Porsche, Tesla, and Alpine. A significant early corporate milestone came on December 23, 2020, when Hopium was listed on the Access compartment of Euronext Paris. The listing gave the young company a public-market presence while it continued to develop its vehicle and industrial partnerships. In May 2021, Plastic Omnium announced a partnership with Hopium to supply the hydrogen storage system for the Māchina. Later, on June 17, 2021, Hopium showed the Alpha 0, its first rolling prototype, near the Viva Technology event in Paris. The company also opened a reservation book for 1,000 numbered vehicles, with a reservation price of €410. The prototype presentation served as a public demonstration of the program's progress, although it did not by itself establish that production had begun. Hopium continued to assemble a supplier network around the planned vehicle. On October 21, 2021, it announced cooperation with Saint-Gobain Sekurit to co-develop the Māchina's windows. These partnerships were important because hydrogen storage and specialized glazing are technically significant components in a vehicle intended to occupy the premium segment. In 2022, Hopium presented the Māchina Vision at the Paris Motor Show. The concept was described as a four-seat luxury sedan with a panoramic roof capable of controlled opacity, a digital haptic dashboard, and a hydrogen fuel-cell electric powertrain. The published specification included a 368 kW electric motor, a claimed 230 km/h top speed, a 10 kg hydrogen tank operating at 700 bar, and an advertised range of 1,000 km. The vehicle was scheduled in the available reference material for production from 2025 at a proposed price of €120,000; the supplied sources do not confirm whether those production and pricing plans were realized. Hopium also faced scrutiny concerning corporate governance. Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, a former transport minister in the government of Jean Castex, joined the company's board in 2022. The appointment generated controversy because of his recent government responsibilities. The Haute Autorité pour la transparence de la vie publique found no apparent basis for an illegal taking-of-interests concern, but identified an ethical risk and stated that the former minister's professional project should be supervised. The available material presents Hopium as an early-stage French automotive brand centered on one principal vehicle program rather than as an established manufacturer with a confirmed range of production models. Its history is characterized by prototype development, supplier partnerships, a public listing, and efforts to position hydrogen fuel-cell technology as a premium long-distance alternative within the transition to lower-emission mobility.
- 2022
Māchina Vision presentation
[1]The Māchina Vision hydrogen luxury sedan concept is shown at the Paris Motor Show.
- 2021
Plastic Omnium hydrogen-storage partnership
[1]Plastic Omnium announces that it will supply the hydrogen storage system for the planned Māchina.
- 2021
Alpha 0 prototype and reservations
[1]Hopium presents the rolling Alpha 0 prototype and opens a reservation program for 1,000 numbered vehicles at a €410 reservation price.
- 2021
Saint-Gobain Sekurit partnership
[1]Hopium and Saint-Gobain Sekurit announce cooperation on the Māchina's windows.
- 2020
Euronext Paris listing
[1]Hopium is listed on the Access compartment of Euronext Paris on December 23.
- 2019
Hopium is founded
[1]Olivier Lombard establishes Hopium in France to develop a hydrogen-powered automobile and build a new automotive brand around fuel-cell electric technology.
Products and positioning
A French premium automotive brand focused on high-performance hydrogen fuel-cell electric mobility, with the Māchina positioned as a luxury long-range sedan.
Hydrogen fuel-cell electric luxury sedan
Hopium Māchina
The Māchina is Hopium's principal vehicle program and is intended to be a premium hydrogen fuel-cell electric sedan. The proposed architecture combines an electric motor and battery with a hydrogen fuel cell and high-pressure hydrogen storage. Reference specifications describe a 368 kW motor, a claimed 230 km/h top speed, a 10 kg tank at 700 bar, and an advertised range of 1,000 km. The available material describes the model as planned rather than confirming completed series production.
Automotive concept · 2022
Hopium Māchina Vision
The Māchina Vision is the developed concept presentation of Hopium's luxury hydrogen sedan. It features four individual seats, a panoramic roof with controlled opacity, and a digital haptic dashboard. The concept was presented at the 2022 Paris Motor Show and was associated with a proposed production start from 2025 and a proposed price of €120,000, subject to confirmation that those plans were achieved.
Rolling prototype · 2021
Alpha 0
Alpha 0 was Hopium's first publicly presented rolling prototype. It was shown in Paris in June 2021 alongside the opening of a reservation book for 1,000 numbered vehicles. The prototype functioned as an early physical demonstration of the Māchina development program rather than as a confirmed production model.
Controversies
2022
Controversy over former minister's board appointment
Jean-Baptiste Djebbari's appointment to Hopium's board after serving as France's transport minister prompted concerns about potential conflicts of interest. HATVP found no apparent risk of illegal taking of interests but identified an ethical risk and called for supervision of the former minister's professional activity.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Alpha 0 prototype and 1,000 numbered reservations
France
Hopium used the June 2021 Alpha 0 presentation near Viva Technology in Paris to publicize its vehicle program and open reservations for 1,000 numbered vehicles at a €410 reservation price.
Outcome. The initiative increased public visibility for the Māchina project, but the supplied material does not confirm subsequent delivery or production outcomes.
Brand decisions
2022
Māchina Vision concept presentationProduct launchBackground
Hopium sought to communicate the design and intended performance of its premium hydrogen vehicle.
Action taken
The company presented the Māchina Vision at the Paris Motor Show with a proposed 2025 production timetable and a proposed €120,000 price.
Aftermath
The concept clarified the brand's luxury positioning, while the supplied sources do not confirm that the proposed production schedule or price was realized.
2021
Alpha 0 prototype and reservation programProduct launchBackground
Hopium needed to demonstrate progress on its planned hydrogen luxury sedan and build early customer interest.
Action taken
It presented the Alpha 0 rolling prototype and opened 1,000 numbered reservations at a €410 reservation price.
Aftermath
The event provided a public proof point for the Māchina program; later delivery or production results are not established by the supplied references.
2020
Public-market listingStrategyBackground
Hopium was developing a new hydrogen vehicle brand and sought a public-market presence while progressing its vehicle program.
Action taken
The company entered the Access compartment of Euronext Paris on December 23, 2020.
Aftermath
The listing established Hopium as a publicly traded venture, although the supplied sources do not provide further financial or operational outcomes.
Recent events
Reported
Hopium receives Young Innovative Company qualification[2]
Hopium announced that it had acquired the French State qualification for Young Innovative Company (J.E.I.), issued by the Ministry for Higher Education, Research and Innovation.
Reported
Plastic Omnium and Hopium partner on hydrogen storage system[3]
Plastic Omnium and Hopium announced a partnership to develop a hydrogen storage system for the Hopium Māchina production series. Plastic Omnium will provide a high-pressure Type IV hydrogen tank prototype for testing.
- Unconfirmed
Hopium presents the Māchina hydrogen luxury car[4]
Hopium presented a new car named Māchina, which it aims to make the world's first hydrogen-powered luxury sedan.
Sources5 sources
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