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Riversimple, a small Welsh company which has been kick-started by a significant government grant, is poised to offer its light, simple and frugal Rasa car to the public, in what it calls a 'Beta Test' of around 20 vehicles.
It's actually a fuel cell car, using an 8.5kWh fuel cell, and a tiny 1.5kg hydrogen tank. The engine is only rated at a miniscule 11hp, but Riversimple claims that the lightweight car, built with Formula One experience (it weighs just 540kg) can travel for as much a 500km on that single fill of H2 - that's significantly further than a Toyota Mirai, which carries around three times as much fuel. Riversimple claims that this is, in part, due to reducing the powertrain to as simple a layout as possible - there are just 18 moving parts in the whole system.
And it's claimed to be truly eco-friendly. While the hydrogen fuel cell is emissions free at the point of use, Riversimple says that it's also kind to the planet in its entire build process, with a 'well to wheel' emissions figure of just 40g/km.
The plan is to bring the car fully to the market in 2018, and this Beta test, featuring 20 cars, is to start logging some real-world, real-use mileage. Riversimple will offer the car to motorists through its unique "sale of service" model. For a fixed monthly fee and mileage allowance, similar in expenditure to leasing and running a new family-sized hatchback, the company will cover all repair, maintenance, insurance and fuel expenses. Customers will never actually buy the car and experience the burden of depreciation; they will simply exchange or return it at the end of the ownership period.
Hugo Spowers, Founder of Riversimple Movement Ltd, said: "The Rasa engineering prototype marks another key milestone in bringing an affordable and highly-efficient hydrogen-powered car to market. We really have started from a clean sheet of paper. The Rasa gives us the opportunity to introduce customers to a more convenient concept of motoring, a lightness of ownership that neither places a burden on the pockets of motorists or the surrounding environment. The car is simple, light and fun in every respect."