Rinspeed to debut its eco-friendly underwater car 'sQuba' at Geneva Motor Show

Swiss classical automobile restorer Rinspeed will debut its zero-emission submersible car, 'sQuba' at the Geneva Motor Show due from 6 March to 16 March 2008.

Rinspeed Inc founder and CEO Frank M. Rinderknecht said, "Three decades after the James Bond movie thriller The spy who loved me hit the theatres, I tried to imagine how it might be possible to build a car that can fly under water. Now we have made this dream come true." (Visit domain-b photo gallery)

Making a car that can drive underwater is not as easy as imagining it! "It is undoubtedly not an easy task to make a car watertight and pressure resistant enough to be manoeuvrable under water. The real challenge however was to create a submersible car that moves like a fish in water," Rinderknecht added. For safety reasons, the vehicle has been built as an open car. This will help the occupants to move out in case of an emergency, which would not be possible within an enclosed cabin.

As documented by the rotating license plate in the rear, the sQuba is a zero-emission car.

The Swiss are amongst the world's pioneers in the area of hydropower. The Motorex lubricants used in the vehicle are biodegradable. The vehicle also features a powerful yet energy saving LED lighting technology. sQuba produces no exhaust emissions and with the electric power system, the vehicle drives and dives without causing any harmful emissions.

Rinspeed had hired the Swiss engineering company, Esoro, for the entire project. The company was responsible for the project management, implementation of new technologies, engineering, rendering, design and manufacturing of 'sQuba'.

For on-land driving, sQuba relies on a stainless coil-over suspension from KW automotive and large Pirelli tires mounted on custom-made forged lightweight wheels from AEZ with 17- and 18-inch diameters. The high-tech VDO instrument cluster and controls create a futuristic ambience and allow controlling all vehicle functions even while submerged.

'sQuba' drives autonomously (without a driver at the touch of a button)due to Ibeo laser technology / ibeo LUX laser sensor already successfully tested at the Darpa Urban Challenge.

(Also see: Zen and the art of transparent cars)