Scorpion sports car sips hydrogen

A NEW name in car-making last month unveiled plans in the US to commence production of a sports car that runs on a mix of petrol and hydrogen, using a unique “hydrogen on demand” fuel system.

Austin, Texas-based Ronn Motor Company has priced its new two-door Scorpion roadster at US$150,000 (about $160,000) and is now taking orders with deposits of $50,000.

Deliveries are expected to commence in October and the company intends building 200 cars this year, rising to 500 in 2009.

The Ronn Scorpion is powered by a Honda-sourced 3.5-litre VTEC V6 fitted with twin turbochargers and produces about 335kW of power (against 208kW for the standard engine), driving through a six-speed manual gearbox and a limited slip differential.

While the sleek bodywork caught the eye when the Scorpion was unveiled in Austin, it is the on-board hydrogen system that is the real headline act.

“This is an innovation in the automotive industry and demonstrates American ingenuity at a time of real need,” said company founder and CEO Ronn Maxwell.

“We’re designing and building cars with performance components and unique styling with the objective of making the new environmentally friendly vehicle stand out with never before seen style and approximately 40mpg-plus efficiency,” he added.

That claimed highway fuel consumption figure translates to better than 7.0L/100km.

Supplied by Florida-based company Hydrorunner, the hydrogen delivery system has dual computer processor controls and “produces hydrogen on demand and in real time which will be inducted through the air intake manifold and blended with gasoline at a ratio of 30-40 percent hydrogen”, according to Mr Maxwell.

He explained that 130-octane hydrogen is produced by electricity from the alternator sending an electric charge through the water, fracturing molecules and releasing the hydrogen, which is injected into the combustion chamber with petrol.

“The fuel for this system is derived from fracturing water molecules drawn from a small on-board water tank and will not require a high-pressure, on-board hydrogen storage tank or hydrogen fuelling station,” said Mr Maxwell.

“While the technology has been around for a while, advances in technology have made it possible to produce hydrogen on board, on demand as needed.

“We have a strategic partnership with Hydrorunner which has allowed us to bring to market quickly, a premium exotic automobile that is a perfect first step to a solution of the problems facing the automobile industry as it enters into this transitional phase.

“Ronn Motor Company is well on its way to proving that efficiency can be delivered to the automobile consumer without giving up performance or styling.” Mr Maxwell formed the Ronn Motor Company less than a year ago in partnership with former Dell Computer executive Adrian Pylypec, who now owns a high-profile hot rod shop in Texas.

Mr Maxwell is experienced in various aspects of the automotive industry, including sales, building race cars, restoring classic cars and designing a replacement air-conditioning system for Porsche 911s.

He and Mr Pylypec met for the first time in August 2007 in a café to discuss the possibility of building an American exotic sports car, spent the next three months creating a business plan and then began building a prototype. A week before the Scorpion was unveiled Ronn Motor become a publicly-listed company.

The company has commissioned the construction of a 3700 square-metre assembly plant near Austin with a 900sq-m showroom attached.

It was only during the design phase that Mr Maxwell decided that hydrogen power was required for its “eco-exotic” cars.

The next step is believed to be a potentially volume-selling sedan using the same hydrogen fuel technology.

“The Scorpion is a proof of concept vehicle that helps solve consumer energy problems today and we expect will serve as a platform for our second-generation vehicles,” said Mr Pylypec.