Environment - A Zero-Emissions High-Powered Sports Car?

Think ‘Sports Car’ and you don’t necessarily think ‘environmentally-friendly’. More likely you envisage a noisy gas-guzzler built for speed clogging up the town centre with its potent exhaust emissions. But classic car firm Morgan have been developing what they claim will be the world’s first emission-free sports car.

The company are famous for their traditional approach to car manufacture – their models are based on 1930s designs and are made almost entirely by hand. But if their project succeeds, they aim to produce an industry-first: a sports car that matches petrol-driven rivals for performance and handling yet generates ZERO emissions.

How will it work? Essentially, the vehicle will be powered by a fuel cell which converts hydrogen into electricity – a process which only generates water vapour as a by-product (not CO2). As a bonus, the system is also incredibly quiet. Although fuel cells can provide high top speeds, fast bursts of power required for acceleration are the weak point. But Morgan aim to overcome this through the use of powerful capacitors providing necessary instantaneous power boosts.

The project, known as LIFEcar, addresses one of the major issues in the development of eco-friendly vehicles: lack of performance. Electrically-powered vehicles are no recent phenomenon. In fact they’ve been around since the 1960s in one form or another, but the challenge for the modern motor industry is how to produce a practical eco-friendly vehicle that is still fun and fast.

With the rapid increase in environmental concerns, the race is on to produce a practical but fun vehicle that captures the essence of the traditional sports car whilst providing guilt-free zero emissions. The cream of UK engineering and design are involved in the project and the finished vehicle, based on the Morgan Aero 8 design, will be part-funded by the Department of Trade and Industry.

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[ A Zero-Emissions High-Powered Sports Car? ]