Amphibious Car Beats Urban Congestion

woodhouse writes "According to BBC News, a company in the UK have just tested a fully amphibious car on the Thames river. It can travel at up to 100 miles an hour on land, and its wheels fold up to allow it to speed across water at 30mph, propelled by a jet. The company responsible, Aquada, suggest it's a good way to avoid congestion."

Comments

It's a convertible?

[mmoncur]

Why a convertible? Riding it is going to be like one of those amusement park rides that gets everyone wet.

> "The Thames is a perfect location to make use
> of this vehicle as it has no speed limit and
> is greatly under-utilised."

Those silly Brits. We have speed limits posted for all bodies of water here in the US.

Re:It's a convertible?

[RussGarrett]

I dunno why they say that - the Thames speed limit is 8 knots above Wandsworth, and even below there they can stop you if they think you're affecting other craft.

Re:It's a convertible?

[jacquesm]

Just when the Thames is getting back to a more or less clean state. Yes! let's all jump into boats to avoid the congestion, congest the waterways and pollute them to the point where the only thing that wants to live there are 6 legged frogs...

Suggesting this could relieve congestion is just stupid.

Cool Car

[Bruha]

Can someone Loan me the $295,000 dollars to buy it?

Also I cant wait for one to be stolen in Los Angeles and the resulting police chase. I'd love to see the looks on the cops faces when it drives into one of the aquaducts and gets away from the cars at least. I'm sure the helicopter pioliot will be laughing at least.

Re:Cool Car

[AKnightCowboy]

Not to rain on your parade, but I've never seen the LA "aquaducts" even look moist. Much less with standing water.

Of course not. They're for Hollywood car chase scenes, not for carrying water. Every chase through LA must include one or more dips into the aquaducts... it's part of their contract.

Hmm

[rmohr02]

The concept for this car is pretty cool, but there's just something I like about riding in a converted WWII amphibious assault vehicle. They're for different markets, but I'd prefer the "Ducks" to this car.

pollution ?

[mirko]

The company responsible, Aquada, suggest it's a good way to avoid congestion.

Well, it is, if you can prove it won't pollute the waters.
BTW, I don't know how it is elsewhere, but in France, boats over a given cylinder volume require their pilot to hold a license.

Re:pollution ?

[KDan]

It could. Back before they built the sewers in the 1850s or so, the sewage from two and a half million people went into the thames - which is a tidal river at that point. So you have 2.5mil ppl's crap going up and down the thames with the tide. They got outbreaks of cholera from that because the water companies just pumped that water and distributed that to people - drinking beer exclusively was a good plan in those days.

They finally decided to fund the sewers (a gigantic project, and very well done since the original sewers are still in use today) when the thames stank so bad that the MP's couldn't even get into the river-facing rooms of the house of parliament without choking from the awful stench (apparently comparable to the smell of a rotting body).

I'd say that was worse than now.

Daniel

Re:pollution ?

[blane.bramble]

Have you seen it, or are you spouting a knee-jerk reaction because "everyone knows it's polluted"? It's considered one of the cleanest: Comparison of the Thames and the Severn

Re:pollution ?

[AlecC]

The Thames has been massively cleaned up over the last 50 years. Yes, it is generally brown in colour; this is suspended sediment and not pollution. Fifty years ago it was essentially dead; recently the counted (I think) over fifty species in it, including salmon and seal. Not that it couldn't do with a bit more cleaning up, but it is enormously improved.

Which means that it could do without a load of speedboat/cars on it.

Of Course

[Anonymous Coward]

This is until the Thames gets over-crowded.

If you get into a fender-bender on the water, does it sink?

At 150,000 pounds, it doesn't seem that unreasonable.

Fast? Not on the Thames.

[carndearg]

I cant deny that it's a really cool piece of kit and I hope the 150k price isnt so eye-watering that the company goes titsup before they've shifted a unit, but the idea of using it for high speed commuting on the Thames is a non starter.

I have run a boat on the Thames for some years now and like all other boats on that river it has to obey the speed limit, a stately 4.8 MPH.

One for the marina in Monaco methinks.

This is all well and good...

[mrgoatCEO]

But when will the missle and torpedo options be available?

Where will I enter/exit the water?

[t0qer]

Boat ramps are the first thing that come to mind, but then there are launch fee's ect that would make me not want to use one.

Which leaves only a choice.

Enter/Leave water by shore.
This car doesn't look like it has 4wd. So it looks like i'd have to gun it really fast to get over the muddy shoreline. Doesn't solve the problem of getting out of the water either. Another problem is most waterways are fenced in these days.

Dukes of Hazzard Jump.
I guess you could try jumping the thing off a bridge, but it seems a little dangerous, again, how are you going to get the thing back onto dry land?

It looks more like a toy for someone that can afford it, instead of a pratical solution for cutting down or avoiding traffic. Reminds me of when my .com CEO was going to get us all some wing in ground effect vehicles to travel from Alviso to Alameda.

Re:Where will I enter/exit the water?

[Talthane]

According to The Spy Who Loved Me you can use a beach to get out, as long as you're accompanied by Barbara Bach.

Re:Where will I enter/exit the water?

[meta-monkey]

You make some interesting points, but I think the "Dukes of Hazard Jump" option would only be available if the horn plays "Dixie." As it's a British vehicle, I doubt that's an option. Also, since it's an open-top car, how do you plan to jump through the window? Sorry, I'm afraid this vehicle simply isn't up to the standards of the Duke boys of Hazard County.

P.S.

I can see ol' Roscoe throwing his hat out the window right now when this thing goes into the water and motors off, while he crashes into the surf! Lordy, the messes he gets into!

Ze Germans

[Trurl's Machine]

In fact, sir, the Krauts were at it long before the Brits. The had an interesting 4x4 volkswagen type 166 aka Schwimmwagen. I always wondered how the SUV's would look like in the "Nazis won WW2" alternative history. Since the Allies won, most 4x4 vehicles are more or less jeep-like. In the "Vaterland"/"Man From The High Castle" worlds, 4x4 vehicles would probably resemble the military volkswagens. And thus would have amphibious capability as early as in 1940's.

Empty rivers...

[madprof]

Many rivers in the UK have speed limits far lower than the 30mph top speed of this vehicle to stop bank erosion, and why do they insist in the article that the Thames is underused?
There are lots of boats on the Thames already - often rowers in lightweight crew boats that swamp easily. They can do without tidal waves being generated.

Re:Empty rivers...

[dcollis]

I currently row on the river for my university in an 8 (one of the more stable rowing boats) and we already have problems being washed down by other boats. And thats at 6 in morning. During the day the problems increase. I'd say there was already plenty of traffic on the thames. If there is going to be more usage of the thames, then water bus/taxis should be the answer. In sydney this system works extremely well.

Re:And in 40 years...

[vidarh]

No big ships use the Thames anymore, at least not up as far as London. Docklands, what used to be some of the largest docks in Europe, have mostly been converted to luxury offices and housing. Large ships dock further east, as cheap train and road transport made the London docks uneconomical.

As for rough water, you won't find much of that either on the Thames around London

People would be mostly competing with a few barges and small tourist boats.

Re:Only the English!

[Viol8]

And only the americans could come up with something as pointless as an SUV. A 4 wheel drive vehicle that does 2 mpg, tips over in a tight swerve
has poor crash protection and if it does go off road it gets stuck. Compared to that an amphibious car sounds pretty sensible.

Re:The problems of British industry

[Moderation abuser]

Internal Combustion Engine
Jet Engine
Electric Motor
Television
Disc Brakes
Depth Charges
Fax Machine
Lightbulbs
World Wide Web
Viagra
Vacuum Cleaner
Toilet Paper

etc etc etc...

Yeah, the problem with the British is that they keep inventing these unaffordable, impractical things...

Re:Only the English!

[mark2003]

If SUVs are safer then why do American road stats show that you are more likely to die in one? Mainly due to the fact that American SUVs are a con based on 1970s truck designs - half of them don't even have independant rear suspensions. Have you ever tried cornering in an Explorer? Compare that to an X5 and you will see how an SUV can handle when made in Germany.

As for the big vehicle vs. smaller vehicle argument where do you stop? Are you in some kind of arms race? The only reason the Toyota would get totalled is because some moron is driving 15 tons of SUV. If the other car was a normal sized vehicle then they would both be fine. Why not buy yourself an 18 wheeler - then the guy in the Hummer would be toast.