30 Years on....a lotus that will actually go underwater

[Nitin]

If I remember right,the tie up b/w Lotus & some other firm resulted in the sQuba.
Would be a fun thing to have though.. To be able to drive into a pond/lake and see the flora & fauna..

[sanjayatarizona]

jeez. If we use that in our Indian waters, we would probably get hit by broken beer bottles / crap /plastic objects (seems to be stuff most commonly dumped into our waterways)

The good part is that i could finally swim the English channel using one of these .

Cool vehicle..

[Jayabusa]

Innovation at it's best!! A great looking, zero emission, dual function or I would say amphibious car which looks good too (Lotus Elise design) and is convertible-which means you can enjoy your swim with the top open (a great view)!
Hats off to Rinspeed and especially to Mr.Frank M Rinderknecht for having created such an awesome machine!

P.S.: IMHO the Lotus Elise has proven itself a legend considering the fact that 2 fantastic pieces of innovation viz. the Tesla Roadster (electric supercar) and the sQuba are based on it.

[vivekiny2k]

i think they should provide more coverage on top (wind..err...water screen). losing the scuba gear because of water currents can be fatal at 32 feet under water.

[rider60]

hhmmm, riche rich fantasy to life, is the first thought this car put to my mind.

After all those fantasies might just come true one day with innovators such as one wont they?. Makes me wonder, how far are we from witnessing the james bond and other such cars in production or as successful prototypes.

[Scooby STi]

These Rinspeed guys are completely bonkers, I remember there was an episode on top-gear where Hammond sampled some of their lunacy. Its amazing that they are based in Switzerland, the land of the non-committal.

[VIPER_SRT]

Got this information from my friend:

Three decades ago James Bond (then enacted by British star Roger Moore) wowed the world with a car that could 'fly' under water in the movie The Spy Who Loved Me. Only, it was animation and not an actual scene.
But Frank M Interconnect, the 52-year-old automobile visionary and boss of Swiss auto maker Rinsed, has turned a dream into reality with his 'sQuba.'
Rinsed sQuba is the most exciting thing at this year's Geneva Motor Show and is creating many a ripple.

SQuba is the world's first real submersible car that can 'move like a fish underwater'.

It can dive up to 32.8 feet (10 MT) below the surface of the water and can move at a sedate 1.8 miles per hour.

The sQuba has an open cockpit for 'safety reasons' (so that people can get out easily anytime in case of an emergency). The occupants of the car have to breathe compressed air through built-in scuba masks.

SQuba is an electric car that uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and 3 electric motors for propulsion. It is a zero-emission car as documented by the rotating license plate in the rear. It produces no exhaust emissions.

The 'sQuba's' filling station is the water reservoir.? It is no surprise that the vehicle features powerful yet energy-saving LED lighting technology.

The first car that could drive underwater was Quandt's Amphibicar, built in 1968. Only 3,878 were produced but many are still being driven on roads.

Then Gibbs Technologies came up with Gibbs Aquada in 2004 which Virgin boss Richard Branson used to break the speed record for crossing the English Channel.
However, the sQuba seems to be the most exciting of them all.

To drive on the roads, the sQuba 'relies on a stainless coil-over suspension from KW automotive and large Pirelli tires mounted on custom-made forged light-weight wheels from AEZ with 17- and 18-inch diameters.'

Technical data

Measurements
Length ----- 3'785 mm
Width ----- 1''940 mm
Height ----- 1'117 mm
Wheelbase ----- 2?300 mm
Track front ----- 1?470 mm
Track rear ----- 1?520 mm
Ground clearance ----- 130 mm
Empty weight ----- approx. 920kg

Performances
Top speed ----- > 120 km/h
Acceleration 0-80 km/h ----- 7.1 sec
Water speed ----- > 6 km/h
Under water speed ----- > 3 km/h
Dive depth ----- 10 m
Engines
Street ----- Electric
Power output ----- max. 54 kW at 4'500 /min
Torque ----- 160 NM at 1'500 /min
Water - Stern propellers ----- Electric
Power output ----- 2 x 800 W
Diving - bow jet drives ----- Electric
Power output ----- 2 x 3.6 kW Rotinor
Batteries ----- Lithium-Ionen
Voltage ----- 6 x 48 Volt

Propulsion
Power train ----- Rear wheel drive
Gearbox ----- R - N - F
Suspension
Chassis ----- Steel
Body panels ----- Carbon Nano Tubes
Seating capacity ----- 2
Front suspension ----- Double wishbone
Rear suspension ----- Double wishbone
Dampers/springs ----- KW automotive
Steering ----- Rack & pinion

Tyres
Front tyres ----- Pirelli P Zero 205/40 R17
Front wheels ----- AEZ 7.5 x 17"
Rear tyres ----- Pirelli P Zero 225/40 R18
Rear wheels ----- AEZ 8 x 18"
Miscellaneous
Air supply ----- 1 x 15 liter + 1 x 18 liter ScubaPro
Laser scanner ----- Ibeo
Lubricants ----- Motorex

[ramie2400]

Its been showed on discovery channel in future cars episode,there seems to be no roads in Mumbai and due to heavy rains and flood this car will be very useful to get us reach home

Great piece of engineering..cheers.!!!