| The car, which only weighs 772 lbs and is expected to offer a 300 mpg autonomy, could be produced as early as 2013, according to a company’s spokesman. 
Two-seater Riversimple Urban Car The Riversimple Urban Car, unveiled at Somerset House in London, was developed over the last three years. It is the outcome of joint research by the River Simple development team founded by engineer Hugo Spowers, Oxford University, Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, and Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies. Its developers describe the new car as a “technology demonstrator vehicle” that has been designed “to show what is possible with today’s scientific know how.” The leaders of the project say that they need to raise funds to build 10 production prototypes of the vehicle and try them out in cities in the United Kingdom. They plan to place the design of the vehicle online so that different versions could be developed to suit local requirements in urban areas. 
The Riversimple Urban Car, which is expected to have a life span of about 20 years, will be leased to users, instead of selling – with those who take it on lease getting a package that includes maintenance, support and fuel. It can be leased for £200 a month. The car has four electric motors attached to each wheel. These motors double as brakes and generate electricity which is stored in ultra-capacitors. The “green” and emissions-free Riversimple Urban Car, say its developers, can be powered by a fuel cell of just 6 kilowatts, compared with the 100-kilowatt fuel cell in some hydrogen hybrid prototypes. The only emissions out of the exhaust are “pure water,” derived from the hydrogen gas reacting with oxygen to produce water, and some heat.
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