Today, Riversimple has firmly planted itself into the history of hydrogen cars record books by unveiling the Rasa (the name is credited to Aristotle) hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.
This Welsh 2-seater FCEV is a production prototype which can achieve 250 mpge, a 300 mile range and can be refueled in 3 minutes. Twenty Rasa prototypes will be tested over a 12-month period and the final model released in 2018.
According to BBC.com, “If the trial – to be funded by a £1.6m European Union grant – proves successful, the firm has said the next step would be to set up volume production in a factory employing 220 people.”
The Rasa cannot be purchased though as Riversimple intends to lease the vehicle (including repairs, maintenance, fuel and insurance).
According to Riversimple, “We’re building a fundamentally new form of business system that aligns our interests with our customers’ and the environment’s. There’s no trade off between profit and purpose.”
The Riversimple Rasa Specs:
- Hydrogenics 8.5 kW hydrogen PEM fuel cell
- Carbon Fiber Monocoque body
- 1.5 kg 5,000 psi hydrogen fueling tank
- JSR Micro hybrid Super Capacitors
- Sevcon 3-phase motor inverters
- 4 in-wheel electric motors and regenerative braking
- Michelin ultra-low rolling tires
- Lightweight seat frames trimmed in recycled PET fabric
Besides the razzle-dazzle, the Riversimple Rasa recognizes not only the need for zero emissions but also the urgency of leaving a low to no carbon footprint as well.
References
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcUMiAfbYg1w-hl7LTCAjzw
http://riversimple.com/riversimple-rasa-is-unveiled-2/
http://riversimple.com/our-partners-and-collaborators/
http://www.gizmag.com/rasa-hydrogen-fuel-cell-car-riversimple/41841/
https://www.hydrogencarsnow.com/index.php/hydrogen-cars/riversimple-mk2-to-be-unveiled-february-17-2016/
https://www.hydrogencarsnow.com/index.php/riversimple-hyrban/
Thanks Kevin. Great write up. One point . Tank has 1.5kg capacity. So 250 miles per kilo. 300 mile range. Regards Bill
Hey Bill, thanks for the clarification.
Interesting that Riversimple is sticking with 350 bar hydrogen storage rather than the 700 bar tanks that most of the OEMs are moving to.
I assume they are getting off the shelf components from hydrogen forklift suppliers. A good way to start – similar to Tesla’s use of off the shelf batteries.
Hey Dave, here is a list of the Riversimple components along with their manufacturers http://riversimple.com/our-partners-and-collaborators/