Have you ever see a car that can be driven both in land and in water? I did, but to those who have not yet seen it. Here it is, The Rinspeed sQuba.
The sQuba, developed by Swiss company Rinspeed, is the world’s first car that can be driven both on land and under water. The original idea by Rinspeed founder and CEO Frank M. Rinderknecht was inspired by the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.
The Lotus Elise is the basis of this car.
The sQuba is a zero-emission, all electric vehicle which uses three electric motors, one for land travel and two for water. It drives on land powered by its electric rear-wheel drive powertrain, utilizing rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Upon entering water, it floats on the surface until the operator floods the interior to submerge it. It can be submerged to a depth of 10 metres (33 ft), powered by twin electric-powered propellers supplemented by two Seabob water jets. It “flies” when underwater, like a submarine, as it is not designed to drive along the surface at the bottom of the water. The car’s top land speed is 120 km/h (75 mph). On the surface of water, the top speed is 6 km/h (3.2 kn/3.7 mph) and underwater it is 3 km/h (1.6 kn/1.9 mph).
The vehicle can transport a driver and passenger in its open cockpit. The open cockpit design is intended to allow the occupants to escape easily in case of emergency. When underwater, the occupants breathe air carried in the vehicle through scuba-style diving regulators. Without occupants, the sQuba will surface automatically. The twin water jets mounted on rotating louvers at the front of the vehicle provide steering and lift while it is underwater and the propellers at the rear provide forward movement.
The vehicle’s interior is water and salt resistant so that it can be driven in the ocean.
The sQuba also comes equipped with a laser sensor system made by autonomous cruise control system manufacturer Ibeo to allow autonomous operation.
TECHNICAL DATA
| Measurements Length Width Height Wheelbase Track front Track rear Ground clearance Empty weight | 3’785 mm 1”940 mm 1’117 mm 2’300 mm 1’470 mm 1’520 mm 130 mm approx. 920kg |
| Performances Top speed Acceleration 0-80 km/h Water speed Under water speed Dive depth Engines Propulsion Suspension Tires Miscellaneous | 120 km/h 7.1 sec 6 km/h 3 km/h 10 m Electric Rear wheel drive Steel Pirelli P Zero 205/40 R17 ScubaPro |
Watch the video below. To see it in action.
