Riversimple Urban Car
Encyclopedia
The Riversimple Urban Car is an open source
hydrogen fuel cell vehicle
that is to be built by Hugo Spowers
' company, Riversimple
. A working demonstrator vehicle was unveiled at the Somerset House
in London on 16 June 2009, and production is planned to begin by 2013.
by teams at Cranfield
and Oxford
Universities. It has been financed by Sebastian Piech, the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche
.
The Urban Car is a two passenger vehicle about the size of a Smart
. It weighs 772 pounds (350.2 kg), and is constructed of a Carbon fiber
composite material
body. The car can reach speeds of 50 mi/h and travel for 240 miles (386.2 km) on 2.2 pound (0.997903214 kg) of hydrogen
before refueling. It gets the equivalent of 300 mpg in hydrogen, and its life cycle assessment
carbon emissions
are less than 30g CO2/km.
that converts hydrogen into electricity
. This power supply
functions like a battery
, uses no moving parts, and emits only pure water
. There are two novel principles involved with this project: decoupling of acceleration from cruising, and mass decompounding.
acceleration and cruise means that the fuel cell will only need to be large enough to supply the power needed for maintaining a constant speed, which is about 20% of the power needed for acceleration. Most of the car's braking is done by electric motor
s on each wheel. These motors capture the energy of the car in motion, and store it as electricity in a bank of electric double-layer capacitors (ultra-capacitors). This electricity is used to provide 75% of the power used in acceleration. Because of this, the Urban Car can be powered by a 6 kW fuel cell, which is significantly smaller than the Honda FCX Clarity's 100 kW fuel cell. This requires less hydrogen to be stored on board, and results in an overall lighter vehicle.
, as opposed to redesigning a car originally conceived as being powered by an internal combustion engine
into a fuel cell vehicle. The combination of a small fuel cell, along with elimination of the unnecessary gearbox
, drive shafts, power-assist systems, and related and resulting components, results in very lightweight vehicle.
site online. The wiki project is called The Hyrban. Any small manufacturer can lease the design for free, modify it as desired, and build their own version of the vehicle.
the cars over 15 years instead of selling them, with fueling included in the leasing cost. This is intended to increase the life of the vehicles, and reduce materials usage. The cost of the lease is expected to be about £200 (US$330) per month.
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
hydrogen fuel cell vehicle
Fuel cell vehicle
A Fuel cell vehicle or Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle is a type of hydrogen vehicle which uses a fuel cell to produce electricity, powering its on-board electric motor...
that is to be built by Hugo Spowers
Hugo Spowers
Hugo Spowers is a British entrepreneur-engineer who co-ordinated the development of the Morgan LIFEcar sports car project that was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2008, and the Riversimple Urban Car....
' company, Riversimple
Riversimple
Riversimple is a United Kingdom-based transportation company focused on producing environmentally conscious automobiles.Riversimple was founded by former motorsport engineer and racing driver Hugo Spowers....
. A working demonstrator vehicle was unveiled at the Somerset House
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, England, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It...
in London on 16 June 2009, and production is planned to begin by 2013.
Design
The Riversimple Urban Car was designed and developed in Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
by teams at Cranfield
Cranfield University
Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
and Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
Universities. It has been financed by Sebastian Piech, the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche was an Austrian automotive engineer and honorary Doctor of Engineering. He is best known for creating the first hybrid vehicle , the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK, as well as the first of many Porsche automobiles...
.
The Urban Car is a two passenger vehicle about the size of a Smart
Smart (automobile)
Smart is an automotive branch of Daimler AG. Smart is a German manufacturer of microcars produced in Hambach, France, and Böblingen, Germany...
. It weighs 772 pounds (350.2 kg), and is constructed of a Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
composite material
Composite material
Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
body. The car can reach speeds of 50 mi/h and travel for 240 miles (386.2 km) on 2.2 pound (0.997903214 kg) of hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
before refueling. It gets the equivalent of 300 mpg in hydrogen, and its life cycle assessment
Life cycle assessment
A life-cycle assessment is a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life from-cradle-to-grave A life-cycle assessment (LCA, also known as life-cycle analysis, ecobalance, and cradle-to-grave analysis) is a technique to assess environmental impacts...
carbon emissions
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
are less than 30g CO2/km.
How it works
The Urban Car is powered by a fuel cellFuel cell
A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used...
that converts hydrogen into electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
. This power supply
Power supply
A power supply is a device that supplies electrical energy to one or more electric loads. The term is most commonly applied to devices that convert one form of electrical energy to another, though it may also refer to devices that convert another form of energy to electrical energy...
functions like a battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
, uses no moving parts, and emits only pure water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
. There are two novel principles involved with this project: decoupling of acceleration from cruising, and mass decompounding.
Decoupling acceleration and cruise demands
DecouplingDecoupling
The term "decoupling" is used in many different contexts.-Economic growth without environmental damage:In economic and environmental fields, decoupling is becoming increasingly used in the context of economic production and environmental quality. When used in this way, it refers to the ability of...
acceleration and cruise means that the fuel cell will only need to be large enough to supply the power needed for maintaining a constant speed, which is about 20% of the power needed for acceleration. Most of the car's braking is done by electric motor
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
s on each wheel. These motors capture the energy of the car in motion, and store it as electricity in a bank of electric double-layer capacitors (ultra-capacitors). This electricity is used to provide 75% of the power used in acceleration. Because of this, the Urban Car can be powered by a 6 kW fuel cell, which is significantly smaller than the Honda FCX Clarity's 100 kW fuel cell. This requires less hydrogen to be stored on board, and results in an overall lighter vehicle.
Mass decompounding
Mass decompounding involves designing the car as a complete systemSystem
System is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole....
, as opposed to redesigning a car originally conceived as being powered by an internal combustion engine
Internal combustion engine
The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
into a fuel cell vehicle. The combination of a small fuel cell, along with elimination of the unnecessary gearbox
Transmission (mechanics)
A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
, drive shafts, power-assist systems, and related and resulting components, results in very lightweight vehicle.
Open source design
The open source design for the Riversimple Urban Car will be stored on the 40 Fires wikiWiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
site online. The wiki project is called The Hyrban. Any small manufacturer can lease the design for free, modify it as desired, and build their own version of the vehicle.
Leasing
Riversimple will leaseLease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
the cars over 15 years instead of selling them, with fueling included in the leasing cost. This is intended to increase the life of the vehicles, and reduce materials usage. The cost of the lease is expected to be about £200 (US$330) per month.