THE BLOG

04
Nov

Riversimple, Re-inventing the car

Posted by / Sustainability

The petrol car was shaped by and to a certain extent contributed to the shape of the 20th Century. This was a time of rapid and sustained change. Pioneers of the first combustion engine, the first Bentley, the first Mini and the first Ferrari were working against a back drop of horse-power, steam power, the discovery of oil, the industrial revolutionContinue Reading..

08
Sep

Riversimple Mark 2 Architecture

Posted by / Alpha Build

Here is a brief summary of the technology within our new Riversimple Mark 2 eco car architecture. Our engineers will explain more over the next few weeks…..

The Rasa is an eco car perfect for all those everyday journeys like the daily commute. With a range of 300 miles, it will suit those for whom a battery electric vehicle presents real challenges, whether that be access to charging points, keeping on the road without any enforced downtime at inconvenient times of day or simply expense.

The Rasa is light to handle, responsive and fun to drive. A nippy 0-60 mph in 9.7 seconds, it cruises at 60 mph and we have capped the speed at that level to deliver maximum range and efficiency.

We anticipate the cost per month for our eco car to be about the same as owning and running a basic mid-size hatchback.

It takes about three to five minutes to fill with hydrogen. The pump is similar to a diesel or petrol one, just locked into place on the car. Simply press a button to automatically refill. And the cost of the hydrogen is included in the service.

Unusually for an eco car company, Riversimple is keen to involve people in the design of both the car and the service, so we are running Beta Tests with a number of Rasas built specifically for this purpose. The Beta Tests will run throughout 2021 and much of 2022 in the regions of Monmouthshire, drawing support from the County Council and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), and in Pembrokeshire as part of the Milford Haven:Energy Kingdom (MH:EK) project with support from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

08
Sep

Cenex Low Carbon Vehicle Event 2015 – We are on our way!

Posted by / Alpha Build

We are excited to announce that our new vehicle architecture is on its way to the Cenex Low Carbon Vehicle Event (9th/10th September, Millbrook, UK)

LCV is run by Cenex, the UK’s first centre of excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies with assistance from Supporting Partners including the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, the Department for International Trade, the Advanced Propulsion Centre, the Automotive Council, Innovate UK, Zemo Partnership, Zenzic, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, and Connected Places Catapult.

Riversimple will be demonstrating its brand new vehicle architecture at this years event. Designed to be as lightweight and efficient as possible, the architecture will showcase how both the hydrogen fuel cell powertrain and structural efficiency can work hand in hand to create a low carbon vehicle. The architecture is designed using a carbon fibre monocoque chassis that weighs just 70 kilograms, a hydrogen fuel cell and 4 ultra efficient in wheel motors driven by the electricity produce in the fuel cell. The architecture will form the basis for our first roadgoing prototype that will use an ultra low drag, composite body

Hope to see you there!

Continue Reading..

03
Sep

The Alpha Build is underway!

Posted by / Alpha Build

It has been a hive of activity in the workshop (and at our suppliers) over the last few weeks. bringing all the part of the Alpha hydrogen eco car build together, here is a small taster of what we have been up to!

Our new body has been delivered, designed by Jim Router and produced by KS Composites, it is constructed using carbon fibre to provide unrivalled strength and lightness. The entire chassis weighs just 70kgs and will form the basis that the ultra efficient powertrain will be mounted on.

The in wheel motors will be fitted to the car and will use the electricity from the fuel cell to drive the car. They are in wheel so that they can be more efficient by reducing drivetrain power losses. They are mounted where the hub would be on traditional cars and therefore are unsprung mass, this means the car handles excellently when driven.

We are refining the powertrain and powertrain control software to ensure that that the car will be as efficient as possible and achieve its 300 mile range. Other arrivals include the dash board panels, wiring looms and the rear subframe.

Continue Reading..

01
Sep

Welcome to Riversimple

Posted by / Alpha Build

Welcome to our new blog! Over the last year we have been quietly planning and designing our next generation Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) vehicle here at our R&D facility in Llandrindod Wells (Mid Wales, UK). We are really excited that our ideas are now coming to fruition and want to share the next stage of our journey with you all. Over the next few months we will be blogging about the build of our next generation hydrogen fuel cell car. The styling surfaces look awesome and the latest generation of our tech is already up and running in lab conditions. We really can’t wait to see it all come together into our Mark 2 vehicle. Of course Riversimple is so much more than just another car company – our aim is ‘mobility at zero cost to the planet’, so expect plenty of stories about the challenges of starting a truly sustainable mobility company from our eclectic and dedicated team. It’s not going to be easy, but we wouldn’t be here if it was!

All technologies need to be used to decarbonise as fast as we can and hydrogen cars offer people a valuable zero emission alternative to battery electric cars for those who will find charging them a challenge. There is very little behaviour change required to move from a fossil fuel car to a hydrogen car as they are filled in the same sort of way (at a pump in c. 3 minutes) and have similar ranges.

The UK has an abundance of renewable energy opportunities such as biomethane, wind and solar. Hydrogen provides a fantastic solution for the storage of this energy so that it can be used when needed, a step required to harness the full power of renewables. Cars and other forms of transport can make this commercially viable sooner, creating higher value demand for green hydrogen. With big energy companies, such as Shell and BP climbing on board, the future looks very bright.

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