Super fast driving without burdening the environment? Can that be? I’ve not been convinced by the technology we’ve seen so far. But now I’ve heard about something new and I’m intrigued: Roland Gumpert proudly presents the RG Nathalie, a super sports car based on electricity generated from methanol. Named after his daughter – Nathalie means 'dies natalis = day of the birth' – this innovation is stunning as a real alternative to conventional cars on offer. What more do you really need for driving than air and love? I’d be happy to drive the RG Nathalie. We’ll just have to see if we can soon say: a star is born!
Like the wind – clean, fast and strong: that’s how the newly developed RG Nathalie goes. In a preview, the former Audi Motorsport boss and creator of the automotive milestone Gumpert Apollo, Roland Gumpert reveals what was going through his mind to reconcile the apparent contradiction between sporty driving and ecologically harmless travel. Because working with compressed hydrogen to generate electricity is thought to be much too complicated. It takes a lot of energy to compress the fuel in the tank; energy that should really be saved. The solution to the problem is obvious: The car produces the hydrogen – which is where you get the electricity for driving the car from – from liquid methanol and water. The result of Gumpert’s deliberations is therefore a machine that draws energy from methanol by means of electrochemical reactions; a fossil fuel that is available in large quantities. But you could argue that the CO2 resulting from the hydrogen production is released into the air. Quite apart from the fact that you are really only talking about small quantities, 'green methanol' from biogas plants, whose CO2 has first been eliminated from the environment, is used. The methanol fuel cell, the RG Fuel Cell, is thus a clean technology. And how long does it take to fill up with methanol? Three minutes! For the RG Nathalie, the question as to whether electric and sport go together can be answered in the affirmative: The methanol fuel makes it possible. The range that the RG Nathalie has available using its technology is 850 kilometres at an average speed of 80 kilometres per hour, something that is rarely achieved these days. Even at higher speeds, the RG Nathalie outclasses other electric cars. No perpetual search for one of the few charging stations; longer trips, also overland, are no problem. Why haven’t others thought of it? Roland Gumpert is convinced: -This is the future of zero-emission cars.' And will other car manufacturers will come around to it?
The air flows in the racing line over the body of the RG Nathalie like a wind chime. From front to back, the aerodynamic body is in tune; vortex generators, spoilers and diffusers reduce the resistance to the required minimum. The RG Nathalie has everything that a super sports car needs: The chassis is made from carbon, the tubular frame is race-ready and it can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 2.5 seconds with a top speed of 300 kilometres an hour. All so-called racing genes are, of course, at our disposal. At 1,600 kilogrammes, the sleek coupé is light-weight; its four motors – one on each wheel – deliver a performance of up to 600 HP and the four-wheel drive ensures you can make rapid progress whatever the route. Lined with felt, the interior of the two-seater, with a Rapid Display directly in the driver’s line of sight, underlines the car’s sporty and minimalist appearance. The RG Nathalie feels at home on the racing track, but is also designed for roads and is here the fastest to be found. To achieve all these ambitious goals, Roland Gumpert teamed up with the Chinese electric car start-up Aiways. A proven expert, he holds the position of Chief Product Manager at Aiways; he is simultaneously head of the German subsidiary Cumpert Aiways in Ingolstadt. With his pioneering spirit, Roland Gumpert has turned a new page in the short history of the electric car and is driving the Sino-German joint venture to innovative heights. Both sides benefit from each other and time will tell whether it has the power to stir up the established automotive market and to win people over with its new technology. China could take the lead on this. The RG Nathalie will, however, be manufactured in the automobile location Ingolstadt enhanced by Gumpert Aiways Automobile GmbH. This world first rectifies the difficulties surrounding complicated technology and limited ranges:; acceleration can be done with a clear conscience. In summary: RG Nathalie – rapid, clean, futuristic, innovative.
