Submission + - Hydrogen car to be open-source
krou writes: The BBC is reporting that a hydrogen car that can go 80km per hour and can travel 322km before refueling is to go open-source. The company behind the car, Riversimple, claims they are distributing the engineering designs to the 40 Fires foundation, a not-for-profit organisation which will make them open source. "The idea, they say, is to allow local manufacturing in small plants .. designs can be adjusted for local markets, using locally sourced parts or materials [and the] agreement will be such that if the designs are improved by a local manufacturer, those improvements will be sent back" to improve the production line. The car only weighs 350kg, is made of carbon fibre composites, has no combustion engine, gearbox, or transmission, and "its four motors are powered by a fuel cell rated at just six kilowatts". "Riversimple's solution is to power the car also from so-called "ultracapacitors", which store large amounts of electric charge and, crucially, can release that charge nearly instantly to provide the power needed to accelerate from rest. The ultracapacitors are charged as the vehicle brakes to a halt, converting the energy of the moving car into stored energy." Riversimple have also partnered with gas company BOC to install hydrogen stations in areas where prototypes of the car will be launched.
