19
Jan

The future of the UK car industry

With the collapse of British Volt in the headlines and the news of over 300 direct jobs being lost and hundreds more at risk in the supply chain, it would be easy to assume the future of the zero emission car industry in the UK is bleak.  Can you produce a zero emission car without batteries? Here at Riversimple we are making strides in developing affordable, sustainable hydrogen cars and will have no need for batteries. 

Our Rasa cars are being enjoyed by both Beta testers and members of the team. You can imagine the excitement when we woke to a blanket of soft powdery snow that had fallen on Mid Wales overnight. It’s rare that we have snow in the UK, let alone enough to conduct proper winter testing of our Rasas. As a super lightweight car with slim tyres and permanent 4 wheel drive provided by in-wheel motors, we had always suspected the Rasa could be really rather good in the snow but have never had the opportunity to find out, so we made sure it was put to good use.

First we tested the dynamics and durability of our unique Axle Guardian powertrain management software by trying to trip it up. We began by sliding sideways around the car park. We couldn’t confuse it no matter how hard we tried. We then conducted a standing race start to test how well the Rasas put down their traction. The answer, very well indeed. All four cars leapt away from a standstill with no issues at all. 

We decided to take to the hills surrounding Llandrindod Wells to see how they performed in the snow in “in real life” scenarios. Our first stop was the Llandrindod Wells golf club, one of the highest in Wales and located at the top of a steep, twisty road. We were met with stunning panoramic views of the valley below. Of course what goes up must come down and the Rasa made its way back down the hill effortlessly, despite the weather conditions. We even managed to get a few snaps of it in its new favourite environment.

The Rasa’s prowess in the snow is not only a demonstration of what fun they are to drive, but also of an alternative solution to zero emission cars. The development of lightweight, agile and capable vehicles at an affordable price is possible here in the UK – we’re proving that. There are no waiting times to recharge, simply fill up at a pump in 5 minutes. Our production cars will have a range of over 300 miles that doesn’t drastically reduce when the temperature drops and you’ll be able to go out to play whenever the weather smiles on you like this.  

These are very exciting times for Riversimple and as we get ready to launch our next crowdfunding round, the momentum and our waiting list is growing by the day. If you would like to support us on our journey to production then you can find out more here.

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