Hypercar

Basics

• A Concept Car / Design for a Hybrid Electric Vehicle released by Amory B. Lovins / Rocky Mountain Institute

By Amory Lovins of RMI Specification found at

https://www.scribd.com/doc/71456929/e03-05-20hydrogenmyths?secret_password=gow2fk3d1e0gayhwls0

Technically, Hypercar vehicles are ultralight, ultra-low-drag, hybrid-electric vehicles with highly integrated and radically simplified design emphasizing software-driven functionality. The basic attributes of Hypercar, Inc.’s Revolution concept vehicle, simulated using sophisticated industry-standard design tools, include:

1. Comfortably seats 5 adults; 69 ft3 / 1.96 m3 cargo with rear seats folded flat; flexible interior packaging
2. 99 mpg-equivalent (EPA 115 city, 84 highway) (2.38 L/100 km, 42 km/L) with compressed H2 running a 35-kWe fuel cell buffered by 35 kWe of NiMH storage — 5× Lexus RX300 efficiency
3. Goes 55 mph on just the power used by a normal car’s air conditioner; its own air conditioner needs only ~1/5 that much power
4. 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) in 8.3 s; all-wheel digital traction control, responding far faster than today’s ABS
5. 330-mile / 530-km range on 7.5 lb / 3.4 kg of hydrogen safely stored in commercial 5-kpsi (350-bar) tanks
6. Efficient packaging — 6% shorter overall and 10% lower than a similarly spacious 2000 Ford Explorer
7. 47% of RX300’s curb mass (1,889 lb / 857 kg), but carries a similar load (1,014 lb / 460 kg), even up a 44% grade
8. Low aerodynamic drag: CdA = 0.26 × 2.38 = 0.62 m2 (Cd from supercomputer simulation, not wind-tunnel)
9. Emits only clean hot water; doesn’t harm the earth’s climate if fueled with sustainably sourced hydrogen
10. Ground clearance from 5" / 13 cm at highway speed to 7.8" / 20 cm off-road, with unique suspension control choices
11. Excellent aerodynamics; low-rolling-resistance tires (r0 = 0.0078 on-road) can run flat for 125 miles (202 km) at 50 mph, requiring no spare
12. Occupant safety cell undamaged in a 35-mph / 56 km/h simulated head-on wall crash—just replace the front end
13. Designed to meet the Federal 30-mph / 48 km/h fixed-barrier occupant safety standard in a head-on collision with a vehicle twice its weight, each car moving at 30 mph (60-mph combined crash speed)
14. Composite body doesn’t dent, rust, or fatigue — bumpers bounce back unharmed from a 6-mph / 10 km/h collision
15. Body ≥50% stiffer than a typical sports sedan (finite element analysis reported torsional stiffness of 38,490 Nm/deg, bending stiffness of 14,470 N/mm, first torsion mode of 62 Hz, and first bending mode of 93 Hz); this stiffness would be maintained by large-area adhesive bonding throughout the very long life of the vehicle, vs. metal autobodies’ rapid loss of stiffness as spot-welds weaken or break
16. Software-rich, open-architecture functionality offers numerous customization and upgrade paths
17. Diagnostics, tune-ups, and upgrades performed via broadband wireless with many value-added options
18. Highly redundant data systems and steer- and brake-by-wire controls increase safety
19. Safety-enhancing, handicapped-friendly sidestick, sending the car in the direction in which you point it, automatically compensating for sidewinds, camber, and other outside influences; no hazardous steering column or pedals; safer driver airbag
20. Very simple, intuitive driver display and controls; minimal driver distractions; automatic navigation to refueling sites
21. Consistent with a 200,000-mile / 322,000-km warranty; lifetime brakes; repair shop visits should be rare

External Links

• The Wikipedia Page on The Hypercar
• An information page of this and similar projects
• Their Linkedin Page
• Same word, but may be the "Supercar" synonym use