MAR 03

There's going to be a lot of cool news flowing out of this year's Geneva auto show, but I don't think any of it is going to be cooler than this.

Morgan, a luxury car company, has teamed up with the UK government and several leading universities to produce the Life Car, a high-performance, luxury, fuel cell vehicle with a zero-to-sixty time of 7 seconds and a top speed of 90 mph. Think "Tesla Roadster," but nicer and more expensive...and hydrogen-powered. The accomplishments here are many, so let's take a look at them.

First, the car is built for expensive tastes. Sadly, at this point, there aren't going to be any cheap fuel cell vehicles. So, just like Tesla, Morgan (and the UK) have decided to hit the luxury market first, creating a unique-looking, fun-to-drive, extremely eco-friendly car.

The fuel cell stack in the car is pretty comparable to the stacks being used by Honda and GM in their test fleets. In fact, it's actually a little less impressive. But the Morgan Lifecar makes some adjustments in other areas to turn less power into more performance. The car's aluminum chassis and wooden seats keep weight far lower than comparable cars. And on-board ultracapacitors, charged by regenerative braking, give the car a power boost for acceleration and climbing hills.

The car, at this point, is a concept, but Morgan doesn't rule out producing it in the future. If they do, they'll have to look at including some of the things left out...like airbags and a stereo. And with the hydrogen refilling infrastructure being non-existant everywhere except Los Angeles, all hydrogen cars are pretty far off at this point.

Via Morgan, BBC News and Jalopnik

Comments (6)

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impressive
written by Daniel Bell, March 03, 2008

Impressively impractical.

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What about all of the shallow people!?
written by EL, March 04, 2008

Now all they have to do is work on getting it to look cooler so people will actually consider buying it!

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written by Magnulus, March 04, 2008

I've never been a big fan of cars in general (I think I have a testosterone deficiency of some sort) but owning a Morgan has been a dream of mine from a very young age. Knowing that Morgan are putting effort into making ecologically sound cars makes me very happy, because if I ever become a well-paid, world-renowned director, I'm SO cruising around in an eco-friendly Morgan.

Morgan's concept designs tend to look pretty extreme, and I have to admit that I kinda like it. Reminds me of the Burton Batmobile. The keep the wave along the side, anyway, which is part of what makes the old Morgans so nice-looking.

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written by Rex, March 04, 2008

My question is about the efficiency of producing hydrogen fuel. With electric cars approaching 300 miles per re-charge, it seems that hydrogen is just so much hype.

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Stop using oil, and give hydrogen cells
written by Roon, March 04, 2008

This technology has been around for years, but noone will use it while petrol engines are still the number one choice. It would be nice to have the option though!

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no Tesla beater!
written by rollie, March 05, 2008

nicer than a Tesla? umm no thanks- looks like one of the Excaliber kit cars meets the Batmobile.

Other than fleet vehicles that have easy access to an otherwise wasted source of hydrogen, why bother pursuing a hydrogen car when electric is here now- and by the time hydrogen fueling stations would be on every block- we will surely have cars with much more range at much lower costs than what Tesla and the like have to offer today.

Having the abiltiy to 'fuel' your electric car at home (preferably from renewable sources like wind/solar) will be a huge improvement to having gas stations on every block.

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