Riversimple Rasa prototype in Stirling Green.
In the alternative powertrain world, some companies just keep on trying. The UK-based Riversimple is just such an example, with founder Hugo Spowers thinking about the possibility of unusual vehicles not powered by gasoline for many years, unveiling the LIFEcar project with the Morgan Motor Company in 2008 and then the Riversimple Urban Car prototype in 2009. Those were followed by the two-seat, hydrogen-powered Rasa in 2016 and two concept drawings for future vehicles, a small utility van and a four-seat sedan after that. The two concepts didn’t look like anything else on the roads today, but from what we’ve seen of the Riversimple design language up to that point, we didn’t expect such things. None of these vehicles are available just yet, but sometimes you have to keep on trying to get things to work.
Riversimple Rasa prototype interior.
There is progress to report, though. The company said in an email this week that new Rasa prototypes are almost complete, adding that it is “waiting for government vehicle testing to restart to go through IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval) and get a license plate.” Due to the coronavirus, the company is also putting in place new working practices in its workshop in order to ramp up the pace of production for public trials. In April, Riversimple was awarded a grant from Innovate UK as a partner in the “Milford Haven: Energy Kingdom” project. Oh, and the latest Rasa to come out of the shop was decked out in the company’s new Stirling Green color, a way to commemorate motorsports legend Sir Stirling Moss.
Riversimple Rasa prototype in Stirling Green, rear view.
There was also some sad news earlier in May, when Riversimple’s Commercial Partners Custodian, Stewart Down died due to COVID-19. “Stewart brought great experience and wisdom to Riversimple,” the company wrote on its blog, and he “brought a balanced view to all conversations. His resting face was a smile.”
Nevertheless, Riversimple is going to keep on trying to bring its subscription-model hydrogen cars to market. To that end it had been working on the funding aspect of its business, starting another crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs. Riversimple raised over two million pounds in two previous crowdfunding campaigns and has now already raised 366,000 of a 200,000-pound goal through what the company calls an “amazing response to our invitation to participate in the convertible loan investment.” I have absolutely no stake in this company or its projects, but if you’d like to get involved, you can do so here. The campaign will run open until midnight on Tuesday, June 2.
