Geneva reveal for Morgan LIFEcar prototype

Posted Wed Feb 13 2008 7:05 PM by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Morgan first announced plans for its hydrogen powered LifeCar as far back as October 2006 but we’re still yet to see the fruits of the classic car company’s labors. That’s about to change because Morgan is prepping a fully working prototype of the LifeCar for next month’s Geneva Motor Show. The new prototype is a fuel cell hybrid sports car based on its Aero Eight roadster, and was co-developed with several organizations including Oxford University at a price of over $3 million.

The goal of the project is to demonstrate that a zero emission vehicle can also be fun to drive, and to lower the entry barriers for hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles. The design features a regenerative-electric motor in each wheel that’s powered by a fuel cell and is claimed to have a driving range of 200 miles. Regenerative braking and surplus energy is used to charge ultra-capacitors, which release their energy when the car is accelerating. This architecture will allow the LifeCar to have a much smaller fuel cell and hydrogen tank than is conventionally regarded as necessary.

There’s no mention of whether the LifeCar is actually destined for production but its makers hope the combination of performance, range and fuel economy will alter most people’s views towards ‘green’ motoring.

Via: CBD

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