All life on the planet came out of the water. Having conquered the expanses of the Earth, the evolution reversed: the machines made to move on the ground go underwater.
The fans of James Bond films must remember the episode from The Spy Who Loved Me where Roger Moore dived underwater on his Lotus Esprit. In 1977 it was FX. But in case 007 wanted to repeat his stunt today, there would be no need for special effects. Meet sQuba - the amphibian car.
There’s a common stereotype that Switzerland doesn’t have its own automobile industry. The President of Rinspeed, 52-year-old Frank Rinderknecht decided to break the prejudice. For many years he had surprised the world with different wonder cars. Though it still can’t be called industry the social response grows with each new concept car. So maybe thanks to the eccentric millionaire Switzerland will someday join the ranks of trendsetters in the newest car fashions.
So what did Frank Rinderknecht come up with this time? Nothing more nor less than a submarine car. Designed on the base of well-tried Lotus (this time Elise was used as the base, not Esprit), the full-functional sQuba concept can ride normal general-purpose roads and, if needed or if the owner wishes so, leave the firm ground for the water element. Not only can the amphibian stay afloat or wade underwater like many military amphibians; it also submerges up to 10 m deep and there move at a speed of 3 kmph. sQuba can skid along the water surface too, and twice as fast.
To give the amphibian the opportunity to move freely underwater the designers first of all relieved the car from its internal-combustion engine. Instead of it 5 electric engines were installed. One of them is responsible for surface movement when the car is in the land mode; when it goes underwater 2 jet engines placed at the rear and 2 water jets turn on. The latter are just like those installed at Seabob and are located at the front. The 73-hp main electric engine is by no means superpowerful but it’s quite enough to speed up the 920-kg amphibian to 80 kmph in mere 7,1 secs and develop the maximum speed of 120 kmph.
Convertible was chosen as basic design for several reasons. First, the enclosed space of mere 2 m³ would have forced the designers to make sQuba 2 tons heavier, and it’s unlikely that such bulk could move on a single small electric engine. Secondly, the open body allows the passengers to leave the car any time, which is also important. Finally, it’s much more pleasant to take a ride to the beach in the convertible on a sunny day, and then before the eyes of all the amazed people dive underwater with great flair. It will surely produce a sensation.
Incidentally, sQuba is smart, too: it can surface on its own without the passengers and move on autopilot on a highway due to the complicated system of laser detectors.
Unfortunately, there’s only one submarine car in the world now: Frank Rinderknecht is not going to organise the serial production just yet. Though he might change his mind someday and sQuba will stop being a sci-fi wonder and become a real thing.
Alexey Nikitin
Photoreport
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