The hydrogen-powered Lifecar, based on the design of the Morgan Aero-8 roadster, produces little noise and only water vapour from its exhaust.
The lightweight model packs advanced fuel cells and an energy storage system that gives the car a range of 250 miles (400km) per tank of hydrogen.
It has been developed by a consortium of UK companies and universities.
“Figures suggest the car should be capable of doing 0-60 [miles per hour] in about seven seconds,” Matthew Parkin of classic sports car manufacturer Morgan told BBC News.
However, the exact acceleration will not be known until the complete car is taken for its first test drive.
“It’s nearly there and the plan is to drive it when the show is over,” said Mr Parkin.
Clever power
The £1.9m project to build the Lifecar, part funded by the UK government, has taken nearly three years. “The basic concept was to build an entertaining and fun sports car that would act as a showcase for the technology and would deliver 150 miles to the gallon,” said Mr Parkin.
“Everything else has tumbled out from that.”
The car is powered by a bank of lightweight hydrogen fuel-cells developed by UK defence firm Qinetiq.
“If you took a typical internal combustion engine and replaced it with a fuel cell, the fuel cell would be very large,” explained Ian Whiting of Qinetiq. “That’s not an efficient way to do things.”
The fuel cells in the Lifecar produce about 22 kilowatts - roughly one fifth of the amount of power of a typical combustion engine.
“With that we can provide all of the cruise capability we need to,” he said.
When the car needs to accelerate or climb a hill it draws extra power from a bank of ultra-capacitors aligned down the centre of the car. “They are like a battery but they do not store quite as much energy and they allow the energy in and out much quicker,” explained Mr Whiting.
These are primarily charged by a regenerative braking system which slows the car by converting the vehicle’s kinetic energy into useful electrical energy using a motor.
“Hybrid cars already use regenerative braking - normally it restores about 10% of the energy,” said Mr Parkin. “Lifecar is aiming for 50%.”
BMW 5 Series Preview –You wouldn’t know it at first glance – or even a second or third glance – but the BMW 5 Series receives styling updates for the 2008 model year. They’re very subtle, so much so that we almost had to take BMW’s word for it that things actually had changed. The same holds true for the updated interior, which features further refinements to BMW’s iDrive system. What isn’t so subtle is what’s under the hood. Both six cylinder engines in the 5 Series are updated with more power and refinement, with the most potential for fun the addition of the twin-turbo 535i, featuring the same engine as the excellent 335i coupe.
The 2008 BMW 5-Series ranks 2 out of 12 Luxury Large Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 41 published reviews and test drives of the BMW 5-Series, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.
The 5-Series’ ranking is based on its class-leading combination of performance, comfort and technology. Other luxury large cars may rank higher insafety and interior, the BMW 5-Series scores well in every category and deserves a close look from any buyer.
The 2008 5-Series, which AutoWeek says offers “everything you come to expect from BMW,” receives a mid-cycle refresh for 2008 — resulting in slight changes to its exterior design and more power added to the base and mid-level engines. Despite its complicated and unpopular iDrive system and shortage of interior cargo room, auto writers find that the 2008 BMW 5-Series remains a powerful, comfortable, and technologically sophisticated vehicle. In fact, Kiplinger deems the 535xi a “Best in Class” super luxury vehicle — describing it as an “elegant, understated luxury car with high resale values, competitive fuel economy and top-notch BMW handling.” Though the base price may be high, most critics believe the 5-Series is well worth it.
Another cost consideration works in BMW’s favor: the 5-Series is surprisingly fuel-efficient for a large car built for driving excitement. Like all BMW’s, its high-compression engine requires premium fuel, but the big car uses less gasoline than much of its competition.
The 2008 BMW 5-Series comes in four-door sedan or wagon body styles. Sedan trims include the 528i, 535i, and 550i. A performance-oriented M5 trim is also available.
