Saturday, June 20, 2009

Hydrogen car unveiled in UK

Hydrogen car unveiled in UK
Updated: 11:43, Wednesday June 17, 2009

An entrepreneur has unveiled a hydrogen-powered car capable of travelling hundreds of miles between fuel stops at speeds of up to 50mph.

The Riversimple concept car, developed in an Oxfordshire workshop by former racing driver Hugo Spowers, aims to challenge the obstacles that have so far prevented a hydrogen-powered vehicle breaking into the mass market.

Mr Spowers told Sky News: 'We are taking a whole system approach, we're not just a fuel cell company, we don't focus on the individual parts - it's about the whole.'

The hydrogen cells that drive the electric motors are very light, meaning the two-seater car weighs just 350kg, considerably less than its rivals.

'If you make things lighter they need less power, if you need less power your fuel cell can be lighter and so on,' Mr Spowers explained.

The bodywork is similiar to the carbon fibre used by F1 teams, while the brakes save the energy they create rather than wasting it, so that it can be used for the next acceleration.

So who would buy it? Well, nobody - as these vehicles are designed to be leased to users for around 200 pounds ($A4010) a month rather than purchased.

For drivers willing to rent the Riversimple, the familiar problem of where to fill up could still be an issue, even though the vehicle can travel over 200 miles without refuelling.

Motoring journalist Mike Rutherford told Sky News: 'We are a long, long way from these cars being on the road - it's the supply of fuel and the lack of filling points.

'To have a hydrogen car on the road with no filling points is like putting an electric car on a desert island.'

Pilot projects can be found working in California and some parts of Scandinavia, but there are just a handful of refuelling stops scattered around the UK.

The makers of Riversimple say they would like first to inspire a small UK city to become a hydrogen hub serving around 50 pilot vehicles.

The next town could then be joined to the hub, thus creating a growing network.

Convincing people to get behind the wheel of what looks like a quirky Batmobile is only part of the challenge.

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