Swiss automotive
designer and James Bond-enthusiast Frank
Rinderknecht designed and built the submersible
sQuba, similar to the fictional car driven by Roger
Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). The biggest
challenge, says Rinderknecht, was designing a car that
moves like a fish.
Unlike some military vehicles that drive slowly
over submerged terrain, the sQuba flies beneath the
surface. “We could have designed for greater depths,”
says Rinderknecht, CEO of Rinspeed Inc. “But what
for? Visibility gets worse with increasing depth, and
passengers would need to decompress.” At about 23 ft,
a safety switch cuts off all systems. The sQuba then
surfaces, or restarts at a lesser depth. The vehicle must
move continuously or it will automatically surface.
Rinspeed chose Swiss engineering specialist Esoro
to convert a 2008 Lotus Elite into the sQuba. The
Lotus was picked for its open roof, small size, light
weight, and good looks. The first step was replacing
the engine with three electric motors in the rear. One
propels the car on land. The other two — supported
by jet drives in front — drive the screws. Louvers open
and close to control water intake. The jets are made
from lightweight carbon nanotubes.
The sQuba floats when driven into water. But
cracking open a door floods it in about 10 sec. After
another 10 sec, it submerges and accelerates. The passengers
breathe compressed air stored in tanks in the
trunk. After surfacing, heavy-duty bilge pumps drain the interior.
The open-cabin lets occupants exit quickly in emergencies.
Besides, if there were a pressurized cabin, the
car would have to weigh 2 tons more to counteract the
buoyancy.
Foot pedals control water jets on either side of the
car. The left pedal controls the left Seabob jet and the
right pedal controls the right one. Two levers replace
the normal gearshift and control the angle of the jets.
Pushing the levers forward takes the car down, while
pulling back brings it up. Controls on the driver’s-side
door operate the rear propellers, which turn the car
left or right.
Power comes from watertight, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. All high-voltage components are
sealed in a pressuretight box. Underwater, the sQuba
will run for about 3 hr, in either fresh or saltwater.
Back on shore, the driver only has to push a button
to send power to the rear wheels. Range is about
50 miles at 50 mph. Laser sensors let the car steer
itself. Ibeo LUX laser scanners serve as intelligent eyes
that guide the vehicle through traffic. On terra firma,
the car relies on stainless coil-over suspension, but it’s
more at home in the water.
In a nod to 007’s revolving license plate, the rear
display changes from “Zero Emission” to “sQuba” in
underwater mode.
Make Contact
Rinspeed Inc., rinspeed.com