pininfarina & thomas de lussac inject hydrogen capsules in SUV 'NamX' for emission-free ride

Hydrogen SUV NAMX by pininfarina and de lussac studio

SUV NamX hits the road with its hydrogen capsule system CapX, a series of hydro-tanks injected at the rear of the vehicle. Designed by Thomas de Lussac of DE LUSSAC Studio and Pininfarina, the hydrogen SUV NamX emerges as a modernized classic SUV design, emboldened by the delineated curves along the exterior of the vehicle. Concealed in plain sight, the concept of the hydrogen SUV, or HUV (Hydrogen Utility Vehicle), features a central fixed tank and 6 removable capsule packs in the back of the car, both of which enable the hydro-car to drive away with a range of 700 to 800 kilometers and zero carbon emission.

The design team of NamX, an automotive brand founded by Faouzi Annajah and Thomas de Lussac, states that it is possible to recharge the capsule tanks at hydrogen filling stations, and might one day even have them delivered to their homes, or find them at CapXtores, a library of injectable hydrogen tanks to be built on the streets like bus shelters. The capsules are located at the rear of the SUV, sheltered under a protective glass cover. By opening the boot with the car keys or using a dedicated in-car app, the capsule can be removed and injected easily.

images courtesy of NamX

Refueling hydrogen SUV NAMX in just four minutes

For NamX drivers, they can choose between two options: they can fill up the fixed central tank with 5 kilos of hydrogen at a hydro station alongside the six removable capsules, each containing 0.5 kilograms of hydrogen, in just four minutes to give them around 700 to 800 kilometers of range in total, or they can just change the six hydrogen capsules in a CapXtore in just two minutes to obtain 250 to 300 kilometers of range.

DE LUSSAC Studio produced the first design of the hydrogen SUV NamX, inspired by the American Muscle cars in the 1960s  and by the science-fiction genre, the two major sources of inspiration for Designer Thomas de Lussac. The design was then finalized by Pininfarina, an independent Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, bringing it a touch of European elegance and the perfection of the lines materialized in a magnificent prototype.

side view of the hydrogen SUV NAMX

Establishing hydrogen capsule stations for SUV NAMX

Thomas De Lussac of DE LUSSAC Studio says that the hydrogen SUV NamX responds to the gradual, but perhaps inevitable, reduction then eradication of thermal vehicles, the constraints of electric vehicles that use batteries, and to bring hydrogen as a cost-efficient solution to boost and fuel vehicles. The design team shares that hydrogen cars are different from electric vehicles because they use a fuel cell or hydrogen internal combustion instead of a battery to power the engine, enough to supply the necessary electrical energy.

While electric cars rely on metals like cobalt or lithium, the fuel cell in hydrogen cars reacts to gases, such as oxygen from the air, and hydrogen as fuel. These gases then produce the electrical voltage needed to power the vehicle, and HICE engine (Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine) works like a thermic combustion engine but with hydrogen. The hydrogen SUV NamX, co-designed with Pininfarina, aims to be completely green by emitting no pollutants and no fine particles to result in neutrality in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.

For the CapXtore, the NamX design team hopes to launch the establishment of 4,000 CapXtores throughout Europe with an offered option to have the capsules delivered to the homes of the drivers. The hydrogen capsules are planned to be distributed in CapXtores on a model similar to that of the gas cylinders found in supermarkets and petrol stations. The design team states that these CapXtores are easy to install and inexpensive to produce, and that these empty capsules can be brought periodically to a hydrogen charging station by an approved transporter. 

capsule tanks at hydrogen filling stations or CapXtore

the hydrogen capsules are dubbed easy to remove and install

there are six slots for the hydrogen capsules at the rear of the SUV

front view of the vehicle

rear view with the removable hydrogen capsules

the six hydrogen capsules allow the vehicle to obtain 250 to 300 kilometers of range

planned design for CapXtore

project info:

name: Hydrogen SUV NamX

brand: NAMX Automotive

design: Thomas de Lussac, Pininfarina

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: matthew burgos | designboom