From:
http://www.fleetsandfuels.com
Volume VIII, Number 24 December 17, 2001

The Revolution

Hypercar set the specs for the Revolution’s fuel cell with UTC Fuel Cells
(formerly IFC), and figures to fuel the 35-kilowatt unit with hydrogen
stored in 5,000-psi, Type IV, tanks from Impco/Quantum. Two motors from UQM
Technologies are baselined for Revolution’s front end, where they partially
share a housing and connect with the wheels The Revolution Hypercar Offers
Integrated Fuel Cell Car But Needs a Production Partner to Build It
Colorado-based Hypercar weighed into ETIC 2001 with a new electric drive
concept vehicle it says marks an innovative marriage of key technologies
enabling the clean, economical car of the future.

“We have formed a production-feasible design. Our next step is to
demonstrate a production-feasible running prototype,” says David Cramer,
strategic partnerships VP with Hypercar, Inc. The “Revolution” vehicle could
be made econom-ically at a rate of 50,000 per year, the company says.

Chairman Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute is credited as the
Hypercar concept inventor. His vision of a composite-bodied car expressly
designed to be a hybrid electric vehicle made worldwide waves in an article
in The Atlantic Monthly in January 1995.

Commercialization Partner Sought

Lovins is Hypercar chairman. Long-time advanced composites industry stalwart
Jon DeVault is CEO. Jon Fox-Rubin is COO. Hypercar has worked with numerous
companies to engineer the show car, Cramer says. One key con-tributor is the
UK’s TWR Engineering, a firm associ-ated with racer Tom Walkinshaw. The
resulting Revolution, says Hypercar, is the first to fully integrate four
key areas of advanced vehicle design:

• lightweight carbon composite structures, including processes for making
automobile parts that can cut car body weight by almost 60 percent, offering
superior crash-worthiness, and can be made repeatably and
cost-competi-tively in production volumes of 50,000 per year;

• hybrid electric drives, including networked power distribu-tion, vehicle
control, and information management systems, making use of wireless
communication, embedded electronics, and advanced software technologies;

• a networked and digitally controlled system to manage the unique power and
cooling requirements of hybrid-electric and fuel-cell propulsion systems,
cutting costs and mass by half; and

• chassis systems and “corner” modules integrating electroni-cally
controlled active dampers and fully electric disc brakes with semi-active
suspension and a complete system of hubs, steering, and suspension arms, all
said to work better, to use less energy, and to last longer.

Hypercar set the specs for the Revolution’s fuel cell with UTC Fuel Cells
(formerly IFC), and figures to fuel the 35-kilowatt unit with hydrogen
stored in 5,000-psi, Type IV, tanks from Impco/Quantum.

Two motors from UQM Technologies are baselined for Revolution’s front end,
where they partially share a housing and connect with the wheels via axles.
Hub-mounted rear motors are from SR Drives of Leeds, UK.

Switzerland’s Reiter helped out with the Revolution’s lightweight acoustic
interior, Cramer reports, and Hypercar worked with Michelin on wheels and
tires.

Hypercar has worked with UK-headquartered Advanced Composites Group, but is
developing fabri-cation technology in-house too. Hypercar’s emphasis -and
technical edge — is low-cost production of fiber preforms that can be used
with either thermoset or thermoplastic resins.

The electric-drive vehicle isn’t limited to fuel cells. One possibility is a
compressed natural gas-fueled hybrid, Cramer says.

Needed: An Automotive ‘Angel’

“Our first step is a design effort, not a prototype effort,” says Cramer.
“It is less expensive to do design work than hardware development.” Hypercar
says it’s in discussion with strategic investors and joint development
partners to further its business and product development efforts. $5 million
has been raised to date.

Hypercar, VP David Cramer, 970-927-4556, ext 22; fax 970-
927-4593; dcramer@...; www.hypercar.com
Colorado’s Hypercar is seeking production partners for the Revolution

COPYRIGHT © 2001 AUGUST PACIFIC PRESS