The River Simple RASA Prototype, a small hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicle, on display at the London Motor Show 2016
Riversimple is a United Kingdom-based car manufacturer of hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). It is based in Llandrindod Wells, a town in Wales, where there is a research & development centre and the company's offices. Additionally the company has a design studio in Barcelona in Spain. Riversimple was founded by former motorsport engineer and racing driver Hugo Spowers. Riversimple unveiled their working prototype, the Rasa (from Tabula Rasa, which means cleans 'clean slate' in Latin) on 17 February 2016 after 15 years in production. (Their first version was known as the Riversimple Urban Car). The Rasa has been designed by renowned car designer Chris Reitz, who styled the new Fiat 500. The Rasa has a range of 300 miles on of hydrogen, and achieves the equivalent of 250mpg with a top speed of 60mph. Emissions are zero at tailpipe (just water vapour) and Well-to-Wheel. Hydrogen refuelling for the Rasa takes three minutes. The Rasa is an open source vehicle. Riversimple cite the reason for this as wanting to work towards common goal of reducing environmental damage. Riversimple has a diverse team which includes those with F1, motor racing, yacht design, engineering and automotive design backgrounds. They work between the design studio in Barcelona and the R&D centre in Llandrindod Wells. The Riversimple mission statement is: “To pursue, systematically, the elimination of the environmental impact of personal transport." Their business model is called a "Whole System Design", which has an alternative governance structure and puts stakeholders, sustainability and profitability at the core of the business. Riversimple aim to create strategically placed, smaller-scale manufacturing plants (producing 5,000 cars each per year) as opposed to traditional, large-scale factories, citing profitability, sustainability and higher quality products at lower risk. Riversimple are advocates of a circular economy. Until 2014 the head office was
Size: 5544px × 3648px
Location: Battersea Evolution, Battersea Park, London, SW8 4NW.
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -emission, 2016, car, cell, chris, crowdfunding, electric, fuel, hugo, hydrogen, hydrogen-powered, london, motor, rasa, reitz, riversimple, show, spowers, urban, vehicle
