Urban Riversimple Car: A means of transport rather than a nice car

As expected, the British company Riversimple presented yesterday at London's small hydrogen car, yet named Urban car. It has not yet intended to be marketed directly to individuals, but formal lease at a rate of 200 pounds per month, or about 235 euros.
The model Riversimple is a small two-seater that might seem out of an animated film for children. Lightweight (about 350 kilograms), it uses a fuel cell to 6 kilowatts finally allowing a range of nearly 400 miles to 1 kilogram of hydrogen. It also uses the braking energy recovered during phases of acceleration.

"In town, the car of the future will be electric. A fuel cell fuel supply electricity. It will be available for rent. "From when this prediction? From the 1960s ... The Egg electrical, Paul Arzens famous creator (the term designer did not yet exist), was the forerunner and rolled ... in 1942. 

This is word for word the leitmotiv of the British company Riversimple, just to show the Urban Car, a tiny city car which offers only two seats. Its weight is 350 kg and the electric motor is provided by four engines installed in each wheel. This architecture differs completely from that of a car engine powered with its impressive powertrain under the hood, its gearbox and transmission mechanism of the movement to two or four wheels. But it is ideally suited to an electric vehicle and is often adopted in the current studies, such as french Forewheel project, supported by the ADEME.

Electricity is not provided by batteries but by a fuel cell that uses fuel as liquid hydrogen (and the oxygen of the air as oxidizer). The exhaust pipe, therefore the water and not carbon dioxide. Often mentioned, the principle of hydrogen-powered electric motor raises the question of production of that gas to be produced (eg with water) using a source of energy, eg oil or a nuclear fuel. The advantage of hydrogen is to establish an energy more easily stored as electricity itself.

Car in the Urban, it is temporarily stored in super-capacity, ie large capacitors that can provide great powers during a time short, what can not do a battery, but not can not long retain the electricity that a battery is very good. 

With a tank of hydrogen only a liter and a battery providing a power of 6 kilowatts (about 8.2 horses Din), the machine has an autonomy of 390 km and provide a speed of 80 km / h. Acceleration is quite honorable (as on all electric cars) and the Urban Car goes from 0 to 50 km / h in under six seconds.

As futurists imagined the 1960s, the electric car is not for sale. It will take the rent and it should cost 230 euros per month, a rate sufficient deterrent but incorporates all maintenance and fuel. The vehicle was introduced in the streets of London and its developers expect to raise enough funds to make a dozen prototypes to be tested in several British cities before marketing in 2013. 

Around Spowers Hugo, the team includes Sebastian Piech, a former Porsche and rear-grand-son of the founder, Ferdinand Porsche. The young entrepreneur also cites his grandfather, who wanted him as "a means of personal transportation affordable.
Interestingly, the design of the vehicle was carried out under open-source license. other manufacturers can follow to create their own version of the Urban as hydrogen.