Cutting edge eco-technology developments are transforming not only the basic propulsion systems of the vehicles we drive, but the entire manufacturing process as well. A combination of ultra-light composite materials, low-drag design, integrated micro-electronics and hybrid-electric propulsion, incorporating the hydrogen fuel cell, is giving birth to a new concept in clean, zero-emissions transport, which minimizes the ecological footprint it leaves on the planet.
At the forefront of this revolution is Amory Lovins, whose Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has pioneered much of the research on his Hypercar concept. Lovins and his team realised the intrinsic inefficiency of modern car design, in which the vehicle ends up being twenty times heavier than the driver and needing an engine about ten times larger than average driving requires. From the potential energy within the fuel of a modern car, 80% is wasted through heat in the engine and the exhaust. 95% of the remaining 20% moves the car, while only 5% moves the driver.
Perhaps the most revolutionary part of the Hypercar concept is the actual drive system, using electricity generated within the car from a separate fuel source, ideally hydrogen fuel cells. The fuel cell was an accidental discovery back in 1839. William Grove, an amateur English scientist and early student of electrolysis, noticed that the process continued to happen in reverse when he disconnected his apparatus. Using a thin platinum-dusted plastic membrane, the fuel cell combines oxygen and hydrogen to create pure hot water and electricity.
Many prototype vehicles are being developed and tested worldwide, including initiatives in California and Sao Paulo, and buses from Daimler AG and Toyota.
Find out more: Natural Capitalism – The Next Industrial Revolution, by Amory Lovins, Hunter Lovins and Paul Hawken (London; Earthscan 2000).
A short history of the hypercar
Additional Info
- Town:Boulder
- Zip/Postcode:80302
- County/Province/Region/State:Colorado
- Country:United States
- URL:www.rmi.org
- type:technology
