Riversimple, the producer of the hydrogen-powered Rasa which King Charles drove in 2021, has unveiled a new project using nearly 30-year-old Audi A2 hatchbacks as 'mule cars' to develop new technology under the codename Runabout. The company is set to receive £1.7 million in grant funding as part of the Labour government's DRIVE35 programme, a £2.5 billion package of capital and R&D funding for the automotive industry, including £500 million to 2035 to extend R&D support for 10 years.
Hugo Spowers, founder of Riversimple, said: "The automotive industry is struggling with a trilemma: zero emission, lightweight, long range… This project is demonstrating that zero-emission vehicles need not be heavy — and that we have all the innovation and expertise we need right here in the UK."
The automotive industry is struggling with a trilemma: zero emission, lightweight, long range… This project is demonstrating that zero-emission vehicles need not be heavy — and that we have all the innovation and expertise we need right here in the UK.
King Charles, a known advocate for alternative fuels, owns an Aston Martin DB6 Volante, given to him as a 21st birthday present by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. According to Daily Express - Royal, the monarch described how the car has been converted to run on a fuel blend that is 85% bioethanol and 15% unleaded petrol, with the bioethanol derived from wine and cheese waste. He said engineers initially resisted the conversion but later admitted the car runs better and more powerfully on the fuel, adding that it "smells delicious as you're driving along."
I’ve got electric cars now but it’s been so difficult. My old Aston Martin, which I’ve had for 51 years, runs on — can you believe this — surplus English white wine, and whey from the cheese process.
The engineers at Aston said, 'Oh, it’ll ruin the whole thing,' I said, 'Well I won’t drive it then,' so they got on with it and now they admit that it runs better and is more powerful on that fuel than it is on petrol… and also, it smells delicious as you’re driving along.