Rinspeed unveils new details about urban commuter EV

The word “impossible” isn’t in Rinspeed CEO Frank Rinderknecht’s vocabulary.

His Zurich, Switzerland-based company, known for its crazy concept cars that incorporate clean technology, is all about doing the impossible.

The CEO released details today to the Cleantech Group about his latest and greatest vision—the Urban Commuter car or UC. Although vague on specifics, he said the 100 percent electric vehicle is going to be smaller than a Smart car, at 2.5 meters long (8.2 feet) by 1.6 meters wide (5.2 feet), offering solar connectivity, energy efficient management, and a recyclable body.

On longer trips from Zurich to Geneva, for example, his vision is that drivers would laterally enter commuter trains featuring coaches with charging stations and space for the driver to relax, before continuing to drive after charging. He admitted that given the inefficiency of the U.S. rail system, this wouldn’t be an option everywhere.

The car's manufacturing is on a tight deadline, expected to be finished by January 2010 to be unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show in March. It’s being funded by undisclosed partners, technology suppliers, government agencies, and Rinspeed, he said, without disclosing the cost.

“For us, it’s a business card just to show what we can do,” he said.

Rinderknecht is known for his concept cars such as the Senso, which can sense and interact with its drivers, and the sQuba, the first electric car that can be driven on land and underwater. When the car dives underwater, passengers breathe via air carried in the vehicle through scuba-like diving equipment.

See a photograph of Rinderknecht pointing out the sQuba’s propellers that help it dive underwater »

Most recently, he launched the iChange vehicle, Rinspeed's 2009 concept car—a zero emission one-seater sports car that can convert into a three-seater sports van. It is powered by a 130 kilowatt-electric motor and features low weight and aerodynamic drag, shaped like a teardrop, to reduce power consumption.

See a photograph of the iChange with its electronic trick tail, seating only the driver »

“I could have sold sQuba cars that have flaws,” he said, citing such concept cars costing around CHF 1.5 million (US$1.5 million). “But the customer who spends this kind of money wants a perfect car.”

Rinderknecht said his intent isn’t to pump out flawless vehicles for consumers like other EV makers. In fact, it’s not about turning a profit.

He’s made money in “tuning” and said his company was bringing in revenue until 2009. Now he’s focused on following what he calls “new mobility,” launching a new concept car each year.

“Our job is to provoke the current industry,” he said, explaining that he wants large car manufacturers to adopt features of his concept cars, though he doesn’t patent the technology.

For example, he said after the Senso came out, Mercedes and Honda began to incorporate interactive features into their cars for drivers.

Rinderknecht predicts the Teslas and Thinks of the world will not survive three years from now. He said standardizing processes and technologies, particularly when it comes to batteries, isn’t in the interest of the manufacturers.

However, the companies are experiencing their own successes. San Carlos, Calif.-based electric car maker Tesla Motors posted its first-ever profit in August and delivered its 700th Roadster last month (see Tesla Motors sidesteps former CEO's lawsuit and Tesla calls new investment 'endorsement').

And Norway's Think Global has pulled itself out of the financial mess it announced in December with plans to resume production of its electric vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2009 (see Does Think's revival signal cleantech's recovery?).

Rinderknecht also said Palo Alto, Calif.-based Better Place’s business model of vehicle battery swapping stations will fail because batteries would need to be standardized.

Yet, Better Place has been getting some traction in Tokyo, where taxi operator Nihon Kotsu expected to put electric taxis to a road test using its model (see Better Place’s battery-swap stations for Tokyo taxis get investor approval).