| sQuba
dives into rivers, oceans
By CUDJOE KPOR
Friday
March 14, 2008
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| Photo:
Sun News Publishing |
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sQuba is the world’s first amphibious car. The two-seater,
convertible, sub-compact car manufactured by a concept car
designer in Switzerland, drives smoothly on land and also
makes a splash in water. It is not only manoeuverable on the
surface of freshwater rivers and lakes as well as salty lagoons
and oceans, but it could also be driven, submerged in the
water, down to a depth of about 10 metres.
However, whereas it can move to a top speed of about 123 kmph
(or 77 mph) on land, its speed is a very slow 5 kmph (or 3mph)
on the surface of water and about 3kmph (or 1.8mph) under
water. Moreover, unlike amphibious military vehicles which
move on the bed of lakes, rivers and seas, sQuba glides like
submarines in the water down to a depth of 10 metres.
According to CarDesignnews website, sQuba is not cutting edge
design in aesthetics. Still, it is an all-electric sports
car with some gills on the front fenders and shark fins around
its B-pillar. Of course, as an electric car, it has zero emissions
of greenhouse gases of internal combustion engines. An electric
motor drives its rear wheels. It has two propellers in the
stern and two jet drives in the bow which propel it to dive
in water.
Its lightweight body enclosing the driver and passenger is
made of futuristic Carbon Nano Tube components. While submerged
in water, the driver and passenger breathe fresh air through
an on-baord, integrated, self-contained, compressed air system.
But the passengers’ clothes get wet under water.
Manufactured by a Swiss company, Rinseed Inc, it will be unveiled
at the Geneva Motor show which starts on March 4, this year.
Rinseed’s Chief Executive Officer Frank Rinderknecht,
52, conceded that it is difficult to make a car both water-tight
and pressure-resistant enough to be easily manoeuvered under
water. “The real challenge is to create a submersible
car that moves like a fish in water,” he said.
Rinderknecht also explained why it is a convertible: "For
safety reasons, we have built the vehicle as an open car so
that the occupants can get out quickly in emergency."
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