Where could the first hydrogen-powered car have come from if not Britain?! Oh, those British scientists…
Rasa is a revolutionary vehicle that’s fueled by hydrogen and has, as a consequence, zero emissions. It can reach, though, 0-60 mph in 10 seconds and consumes “250 mpg (equivalent), with a range of 300 miles”, explains Wales manufacturer, Riversimple. It saw the light of day this week, when the prototype braved the streets, sparking our curiosity.
Before we get to the real problem of this amazing feat, you should take note of another interesting feature of the braking system. It reverses the motors, so that powerplants become generators; the energy lost in the form of heat, transforms in electricity. This enables the vehicle to reclaim up to 50% of the braking energy.
Can this marvelous car though, survive in the infrastructure we currently have? In March 2015, there were 184 refuelling stations worldwide, making Rasa an improbable choice for mass-market. Riversimple says that this is not their immediate problem, since the car won’t be available for purchase, yet. They are planning to work out “a simple pricing structure that enables customers to pay a single monthly fee that covers everything – the car, the maintenance, the insurance, the fuel”.
Okay, then. Their short-term goals are to partner up with hydrogen refuelling companies to add stations according to public demand, once their cars are on the road. The first 20 Rasa cars will get in beta testing towards the end of the year.
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