Hydrogen car firm to take on electric rivals with open source pledge

A UK manufacturer of hydrogen cars is aiming to wrest back the recent ascendancy enjoyed by electric car developers with a pledge to make the designs for its new prototype hydrogen vehicle freely available to competitors.

The so-called open source approach, which is widely used by software developers but remains rare for physical products, will see the designs for the new two-seater hydrogen car made available to entrepreneurs on the internet.

Riversimple, the company behind the new Urban hydrogen car which was unveiled at a ceremony at Somerset House in London yesterday, said that making the designs freely available would help accelerate the commercialisation of hydrogen technology by allowing entrepreneurs in other countries and cities to develop local versions of the car.

Hugo Spowers, the founder of Riversimple, told The Guardian that the benefits of having more hydrogen vehicles on the road would outweigh any disadvantages associated with more competitors entering the market.

"We want competitors, even if they're in the UK," he said. "We believe that open source is commercially the best thing for us to do, as it will help grow the market for hydrogen technology, from parts to repairs and the refuelling infrastructure."

The company said the new car would boast a top speed of 50mph and a range of 200 miles between refuelling stops, with a fuel efficiency equal to 300 miles to the gallon.

It is planning to have the car available from 2013 and will release 10 prototypes in a UK city from next year.

The company has also inked a partnership with gas supply firm BOC for it to provide refuelling stations in the chosen pilot city.

In addition to the open source commitment, the company has also embraced an innovative business model that will see it lease the car with all fuel and repair costs included.

It argued that this leasing approach had the potential to revolutionise the auto industry, providing manufacturers with a commercial incentive to produce robust, long-lasting and fuel-efficient cars as a means of keeping their costs low.

The launch follows a rough few months for the hydrogen car sector that has seen politicians and the auto industry shift much of their focus towards electric cars.

The UK government announced recently that it is to offer incentives of up to £5,000 for electric cars, while the Obama administration has scaled back investment in hydrogen car projects after identifying electric cars as a better short- to medium-term prospect.

Meanwhile, a raft of big name car firms have revealed plans to release electric cars with Japanese manufacturer Subaru this week, becoming the latest to unveil an all-electric model in the form of its new Stella EV. The company said the car boasts a top speed of 60mph and will recharge in just 15 minutes. It added that it would begin selling the car to customers in Japan from next month.