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Thursday February 14, 2008
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Did you ever wish your car was a little more... underwater-capable? Me neither, but The NewsMarket reports that at the Geneva Motor Show next month, Rinspeed will present its new sQuba, which it bills as the world's first diving car. Not only that, but the company claims it puts out zero emissions.
The report said that the sQuba is not only able to drive on roads autonomously—meaning driver or no driver—with a push of a button, but it can also transform into an amphibious vehicle that can submerge itself in water up to 33 feet deep.
Meanwhile, the company says that the car is powered by rechargeable lithium ion batteries—significantly, not metal hydride—and as a result produces exactly zero emissions. What's cooler is the engineering work that made the thing "divable": It has three electric motors, one of which propels the car forward on land and two that do the same for it underwater:
"They are supported by two powerful Seabob jet drives in the front, which 'breathe' through special rotating louvers from HS Genion (for opening and closing the water intake)," the company claims. "The rotating outlet jets were designed to be extremely light yet twist resistant by using high-tech nano materials, so-called Carbon Nano Tubes."
Posted By:
Jamie Lendino
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February 24, 2009 8:10 PM
What?! I can just RUN-OVER fish now? Perfect for some dive-by harpooning! I'd love to just drive out of the water and ask directions from people on the beach.