Riversimple Rasa: New Details On Super-Light Hydrogen Fuel-Cell CarRiversimple Rasa: New Details On Super-Light Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Car

U.K.-based startup Riversimple first showed its hydrogen fuel-cell Urban Car prototype in 2009, but since then there has been little apparent activity from the company.
Now it’s back with a refined design that it hopes to put into production by 2018.
It’s called the Rasa–as in tabula rasa, Latin for “clean slate.”
DON’T MISS: U.K. Extends Green-Car Grants To Double Buyers By 2018 (Dec 2015)
The proverbial slate hasn’t been wiped completely clean, though. Like Riversimple’s previous design, the Rasa is a small two seater with a fuel-cell powertrain, seemingly intended primarily for urban driving.
The updated car boasts a carbon-fiber monocoque that weighs just 88 pounds, helping to keep the weight of the entire vehicle down to 1,146 pounds.
Power comes from an 8.5-kilowatt fuel-cell stack–adapted from one typically used in a forklift–which feeds four in-wheel electric motors.
Riversimple RasaThe Rasa has a top speed of 60 mph, and can reach that speed from a standstill in about 10 seconds, according to Riversimple.
The company also claims a 300-mile range, although that’s likely as measured on the somewhat optimistic European testing cycle.
ALSO SEE: Is This Tata The Smallest Roadworthy Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicle In The World?
The Rasa certainly doesn’t look like many other cars on the road and–if Riversimple has its way–it won’t be marketed like them either.
Riversimple plans to offer the Rasa through a “sale of service” model that essentially means customers will subscribe to gain access to a car, rather than buying it or leasing it.
They’ll pay a fixed monthly fee that covers fuel, insurance, maintenance, and repairs. Mileage will be capped as it would be in a conventional lease.
Riversimple RasaRiversimple claims the cost of a subscription will be similar to ownership costs for a “new family-sized hatchback.”
Development of the Rasa was funded in part by a 2 million pound ($2.8 million) grant from the Welsh government. Riversimple is currently headquartered in the Welsh town of Llandrindod Wells.
MORE: 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell Priced ‘Around $60,000,’ CA Launch Before End Of Year
It also recently received 2 million euros ($2.2 million) in funding from the European Union, which will go toward a 12-month testing program of 20 “beta” prototypes.
If all goes well, Riversimple plans to start production by 2018.
_______________________________________________
Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook and Twitter

View original article at:  “https://www.greencarreports.com//news/1102436_riversimple-rasa-new-details-on-super-light-hydrogen-fuel-cell-car”