Well, it’s about time that Swiss company Swatch, known for their oversized and colorful watches, has decided to sell hydrogen fuel cell cars. A few years ago Swatch teamed up with Daimler AG corporation to come out with a wacky version of the Smart Car.
This time, however Swatch has teamed up with its subsidiary Belenos Clean Power AG and the Paul Scherrer Institute. They have been doing the R&D on this funky fuel cell vehicle since 2008.
According to IBTimes
, “A prototype of the car, known as the ELV2, has a 40kW electric motor and a 12kWh lithium-ion battery powered by a 25kW hydrogen fuel-cell, Swatch CEO and Chairman Nick Hayek said in an interview with NZZ am Sonntag.”
The idea behind the new Swatch hydrogen car is that it is to be an economical four seater, compared to the other FCV’s that make it out of the starting blocks in 2015. In addition, Belenos Clean Power AG is working on a solar to hydrogen system that will create the fuel for the Swatch car cleanly and renewably.
The last time Swatch ventured into making automobiles they sold their shares of the Smart Car back to Daimler AG. This time let’s hope they have a little more faith in the market and their product and see their product through to the end. It’s time. It’s time.