Riversimple reveals two new hydrogen vehicle concepts

The company behind the Rasa fuel-cell electric vehicle has unveiled plans for two new vehicle prototypes at the London Motor Show

UK-based Riversimple, the company behind the Rasa fuel-cell electric vehicle, has unveiled plans for two new vehicle prototypes at the London Motor Show.

The prototypes include a four-seater, four-door car and a van and have been designed by designer Chris Reitz who designed the Rasa and is known for his Fiat 500 design.

Rasa is claimed to offer 300 miles driving range on 1.5kg of hydrogen. The range of the two new models is anticipated to have a shortfall because of their extra weight.

The technology works by passing hydrogen through the fuel cell, where it combines with oxygen to form water and electricity to drive motors positioned in each of the four wheels. When the car brakes, the kinetic energy that is normally lost in the form of heat is captured as electricity. As the vehicle slows, the electricity floods into a bank of super-capacitors at the front of the car. Unlike a battery, these super-capacitors can take a huge charge quickly, but they don’t store a lot of energy. The energy they take in is sent back to the motors again and provides the power to accelerate.

The Rasa project was originally funded by Welsh government with £2m grant and €2m European Union endowment. 
The company is now seeking crowdfunding help bring the proposed new models to fruition. 

Riversimple founder Hugo Spowers, said: "Over a twenty-year period, this approach will create thousands of new jobs and forge new revenue streams." 

The concepts will also aid Riversimple's aim for overall vehicle efficiency. Spowers told PE: "We aren’t interested in powertrain efficiency –we are interested in overall vehicle efficiency. You can build an efficient battery-electric car with a high powertrain efficiency but a low vehicle efficiency.”

Although Spowers has not revealed a date for the new concepts to be developed, he said the company plans to trial run 20 of pre-production Rasa cars later this year and sales are expected to start in 2018.