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Aqua cars are generally considered to be cars that can drive into the water and sail away. They are cars come boats, or vice versa. They were popular as a kind of novelty in the 1950's and 1960's, but seem to have come back in a more serious way today.
Fans of the James Bond movies will recall the 1970's film, The Spy Who Loved Me where an aqua car, the Lotus Esprit, was used. This one actually went under the water like a submarine, but in an altogether more elegant way, neither shaken nor stirred.
Well, it's no longer science fiction. A Swiss automotive design has allowed the new sQuba to dive to 33 feet. It is powered by two propellers at the rear and two jet drives at the front, or should that be the stern and the bow.
The question of how the driver and passengers breathe has been thought of too. The car has a built-in air supply. This ultimate example of aqua cars is not in production, and probably never will be. It is only a concept car, at least for now, but who knows, maybe in the future.
Most aqua cars are really cars that can perform as a boat when required. Because of this they are little more than novelties and tend to have poor seagoing design and less than perfect road design too. Road design tends to suffer because of the necessary adaptations to allow the aqua cars to float and have a motive force once in the water.
There are obvious corrosion difficulties too, as steel is more subject to rusting when it is in regular contact with water. This problem intensifies when the water happens to be sea water. The salt in sea water makes corrosion even more likely. Because of this, plastics have been employed as much as possible, but cannot fully remove the problem.
Another characteristic of aqua cars is their slow speed once the get into the water. Top aquatic speeds of six or seven miles an hour is hardly a James Bond style, yet that is typical of yesterday's aqua cars. However, the new breed of aqua cars seems to be doing much better in this respect.
In 2003 the Gibbs Aquada was launched on the Thames River near London. This car can do over 100 miles per hour on land, and a very impressive 30 miles per hour in water. It's not too surprising though as more than 70 scientists and designers worked on the project spending several tens of millions. With a price tag in the region of $300,000, it's not particularly affordable either.
Prince Raimondo di Sangro of Sansevero of Naples in Italy is credited with creating the first amphibious vehicle in 1750, a carriage that could take to the water, though presumably not with the horses attached. It was another 55 years before Oliver Evans in the USA created the first self-propelled amphibious vehicle, the forerunner of the aqua cars, a steam-powered dredging barge with wheels.
Cars That Run on Water Tip #1
No matter what anybody tells you, there is not yet a water powered car in production. That is an urban myth that reached its peak with Stanley Meyer who claimed that he drove one hundred miles using only four ounces of water (he was later convicted of fraud). The water powered engine hasn't even been invented yet. Scientists are still trying to figure out if it is even possible. |
Cars That Run on Water Tip #2
Many major car manufacturers are embracing the idea of the hydrogen car. BMW hopes to release a hydrogen car to the public by 2008 (or 2010 at the latest) and other manufacturers like Toyota are also making plans to release hydrogen car lines. Of course the debate over using hydrogen in cars is still raging and nothing has been settled yet. |
Cars That Run on Water Tip #3
While both a water based engine and a hydrogen engine will do wonders for fuel emissions and the environment, one of the major reasons people want them is to improve their fuel mileage. Of course, gas mileage can be improved right now. You can improve your gas mileage drastically just by driving sensibly and making sure your car is maintained properly. |
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