Riversimple Rasa two-seater FCEV unveiled, 20-car trial this year

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Riversimple Rasa twoseater FCEV unveiled, 20-car trial this year

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he Welsh car developer Riversimple has unveiled its Rasa road-legal engineering prototype of its first twoseater hydrogen fuel cell powered road car, built for full European type approval. The company is planning a public ‘beta’ trial of 20 vehicles with prospective customers later this year, ahead of reaching the market in 2018 through a ‘sale of service’ ownership model. Development of the Rasa car – which looks a little like the Smart Roadster Coupe – has been supported by a £2 million (US$2.8 million) grant from the Welsh government [FCB, July 2015, p3]. With a kerb weight of just 580 kg (nearly half that of a small car), it features a carbon composite chassis, and has only 18 moving parts in the entire powertrain. The vehicle is powered by a small, 8.5 kW PEM fuel cell (the size currently used in forklifts), which drives motors in each of the four wheels. More than 50% of the kinetic energy produced under braking is recovered, and used to boost acceleration via a bank of supercapacitors. The result is a range of up to 300 miles (480 km) on 1.5 kg of hydrogen, an estimated fuel economy equivalent to 250 mpg (1.13 litres per 100 km), and a top speed of 60 mph (96 km/h), with very low ‘well-to-wheel’ carbon emissions of about 40 g of CO2 per km. Riversimple will offer the car to motorists through its unique ‘sale of service’ model. For a fixed monthly fee and mileage allowance – similar to leasing and running a new familysized hatchback – the company will cover all repair, maintenance, insurance, and fuel expenses. Starting later this year, following funding to match a E2 million ($2.2 million) grant from the European Commission, Riversimple will conduct a public 12-month ‘beta’ trial of 20 Rasa prototype cars, as part of the continuing development of the first full production model, which will come to the market in 2018. It will be offered to individuals in a phased rollout by region, in order to support a low-risk, commercially practical introduction of profitable hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Riversimple Movement Ltd, Llandrindod Wells, Wales, UK. Tel: +44 1597 821060, www.riversimple.com

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Fuel Cells Bulletin

Van Hool to build two 3Emotion fuel cell buses for Rotterdam

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he Belgian bus-builder Van Hool has concluded a contract with RET, the public transport company for the Rotterdam metropolitan region in the Netherlands, for the construction of two new-generation hydrogen fuel cell buses. This new contract is part of the 3Emotion European consortium for hydrogen buses, coordinated by Van Hool [FCB, February 2015, p1]. The two buses for RET (Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram) will be delivered in summer 2017. Van Hool recently announced a similar order for London [FCB, January 2016, p2]. Van Hool manufactures buses, touring coaches, and industrial vehicles; its fuel cell buses are already in service in Europe and the US, including the Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project in Scotland [see the News Feature in FCB, March 2015] and with AC Transit in California [FCB, July 2015, p3]. The 3Emotion project is financially supported by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, and by local government authorities. The consortium aims to deliver 21 fuel cell buses across six EU member states by 2019. The buses will be deployed in London, Rome (Italy), Rotterdam and the Province of Zuid-Holland (Netherlands), Cherbourg (France), and Flanders (Belgium), as well as two new hydrogen fueling stations in Rome and Cherbourg. Van Hool NV, Lier (Koningshooikt), Belgium. Tel: +32 3 420 2020, www.vanhool.be or http://tinyurl.com/vanhool-h2buses Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram: www.ret.nl/en 3Emotion project: www.3emotion.eu Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking: www.fch.europa.eu

Ballard to use TM4 motors, inverters with next-gen bus module

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allard Power Systems has selected fellow Canadian company TM4 Inc to supply electric motors and inverters to be coupled with new compressor units for Ballard’s latest FCvelocity®HD7 power module, which is primarily used in fuel cell buses. Ballard’s high-performance FCvelocityHD modules have demonstrated exceptional

March 2016