Eco Factor: Fuel-efficient fuel-cell powered car.
A new hydrogen fuel cell-powered city car designed by students at Oxford and Cranfield Universities in England is going to be publicly unveiled in London next week. The highly-efficient Riversimple city car, financed by Sebastian Piech, grandson of Fredianand Porsche, weights about 350kgs and is built from composite material that is exceptionally lightweight.
Powered by a 6KW fuel cell, the vehicle has a top speed of 50mph, and this two-seater can accelerate from 0-35mph in 5.5 seconds and boasts a range in excess of 200 miles using a relatively small fuel cell and hydrogen tank. It has an electric motor at each wheel, which houses a regenerative system to recharge the built-in battery pack. The electricity generated is stored in a bank of ultra capacitors, providing the car with adequate power. The company is planning to build 10 prototypes in the first stage. Such a step, according to the company, will help boost the development of the hydrogen infrastructure in future.
Via: AutoCar
