The Car of the Future - British-built Rasa that runs on electricity generated by a hydrogen fuel cell

 

Finally, a sleek, affordable British-built hydrogen-powered electric city car has arrived.

 

Hitting the roads from today, the electric car will reduce emissions, with just water coming from its exhaust, and it even has DeLorean-style gull wing doors.

Called Rasa, the green vehicle runs on electricity generated by hydrogen fuel cells and gives the equivalent of '250 miles to the gallon'

HOW THE FUEL CELL WORKS

• Fuel cells come in several forms, but all of them generate energy without pollution.
• In the Rasa, the hydrogen fuel cell is stored under pressure in a tank in the boot.
• Inside the cell, hydrogen gas (H2) enters a chamber where it undergoes a catalytic reaction. 
• This reaction with oxygen (O2) - a form of reverse electrolysis - generates energy in the form of electricity and water.
• The electricity generated drives motors in each of the wheels while the water evaporates into the air, or dribbles onto the road. 
• Unlike batteries, which store energy, fuel cells actively produce energy through electrochemical conversion. 
• They use a proton exchange membrane (PEM) as an electrolyte, which carries electrically charged ions between electrodes.
• They also use a catalyst to speed up the reactions.
• Oxygen combines with the returning electrons and hydrogen ions, and water is formed. 

The two-seater will travel 300 miles (482km) on one 1.5kg fill-up of the lighter than air gas - which was once used to provide the lift in Zeppelins until the Hindenburg disaster of 1937

The car has no gears, just buttons for forward, neutral or reverse, plus an accelerator pedal and brake. It can accelerate from zero to 60mph (97km/h) – the city car's top speed - in 10 seconds

Named after the Latin for 'clean-slate', the futuristic-looking Rasa has been developed from scratch over 15 years by engineers and entrepreneurs at Riversimple Movement based in Llandrindod Wells in Wales

Initial plans are to lease thousands of the vehicles to customers on service contracts for about £500 per month - rather than selling them outright