The Istituto Europeo di Design introduced the A4810 Project by IED, a new hydrogen-powered concept car developed in conjunction with Alpine, a Renault Group brand, and in response to a brief from the Alpine design team.
As a consequence of the thesis project of twenty-eight students enrolled in IED Turin’s Master in Transportation Design for the academic year 2020/21, this concept car integrates cutting-edge technologies while retaining the classic traits of the French brand created in 1955.
Alpine invited IED students to create a “super berlinette” for the year 2035 to honor its sportiness, French heritage, and connection to the Alps. This two-seater supercar was created to be a high-performance vehicle in both the sporting and environmental categories.
Following the introduction of the brief last fall, the young designers created the A4810 Project by IED: a light yet strong and nimble concept car that focuses exclusively on driving experience. As part of their design phase, the students tried to balance vision and innovation while remaining true to the French automaker’s traditional heritage.
Additionally, they communicated the brand’s history by selecting a name that reflects the relationship between the two realities that inspired their Project. Indeed, 4810 is the elevation of Mont Blanc in meters. This is the highest and most majestic peak in the Alps, separating Italy and France and serving as a trait-d’-union for IED and Alpine. The latter is a brand named after the mountains and the thrill of travelling over their winding routes.
The IED A4810 Project (length 5091 mm – width 2010 mm – height 1055 mm – wheelbase 2717 mm) is a two-seater supercar that combines the berlinette automobile typology with a hydrogen power train in an experimental manner.
While the engine and tanks follow the traditional hypersports vehicle architecture, the key novelty is in the subtraction process. Indeed, the design suggests an alternation of empty and filled spaces, visually lightening the car while using Formula 1-inspired aerodynamic solutions. Additionally, A4810 Project by IED was tasked with the responsibility of projecting the brand in the category’s periphery.
The French character has been skillfully kept by focusing on the overlapping layers and sculptural aspects of the surfaces rather than making the car redundant with superfluous formal embellishments.
