New Gumpert RG Nathalie fuel cell EV – details and first ride

You see, it has a fuel cell stack under its bonnet. And Gumpert isn’t following the masses by using ‘unbound’ hydrogen to power it. Instead, the cell, developed by Danish firm Serenergy, is powered by a mix of water and alcohol - methanol, to be specific. 

It uses what’s called a high-temperature proton exchange membrane to obtain hydrogen from methanol using a catalytic reaction. Often, excess hydrogen is wasted as a result, but this cell uses that energy to keep the catalytic reaction going, resulting in a higher electrical efficiency than regular hydrogen cells. 

There are a number of benefits to using methanol instead of pure hydrogen. Firstly, it’s far easier to store, because it’s less volatile, meaning it could become part of our infrastructure more easily. It also doesn’t need high pressures to operate in a fuel cell. The downside is that the fuel cell is generally less powerful and produces CO2. Engineers estimate that if the methanol is produced using fossil fuels (as it often is now), that equates to roughly 30g/km of CO2 emission for the RG Nathalie. 

The result is that the fuel cell in this prototype puts out around 5kW per hour. That’s fine on a regular use basis, because the cell can run to top up the battery even when the car is switched off. But it does mean longer distances will still require plug-in charging. The manufacturer claims about 530 miles of range at 50mph but considerably less if you use all of the car’s performance.

RG Nathalie : first passenger ride

The initial expectation was that we would be riding shotgun in a prototype RG Nathalie at maximum attack around the Nordschleife. Unfortunately, this was not to be. 

It seems those in charge of the event had underestimated the battery drain of throwing dozens of journalists around the world’s longest racetrack all morning. As a result, by the time we got in the passenger seat, our run was cut short to only a couple of miles at a reduced pace. Nevertheless, it was enough for us to get a little taste of what the production car will feel like.

Sliding into the comfortable leather sports seat within a surprisingly spacious interior, I glanced back expecting to see a pair of small rear seats. Instead, there is some structural bracing and a large boot. It seems the battery pack and powertrain gubbins robs the RG Nathalie of the space necessary for rear footwells.

Still, it's a pleasant, if not quite finished, place to sit. It’s dominated by three displays – one behind the steering wheel takes care of the instruments, a small one at the bottom of the centre console displays the climate settings and a large central one dealing with everything else sits atop the dashboard, in the driver’s eyeline. 

Four toggle switches jut out of the centre console, acting as the gear selectors. A quick push of 'D' engages the driveline with a profound clunk; this is still very much a car in development, with full production models not due until the end of next year.

Bar a fairly loud whirr from the motor was we move off, it feels like any other electric car. It’s also still pretty brisk, given that it was at less than half throttle, according to our driver. We reach a peak of about 70mph, but that’s enough to prove that the car does indeed work.

What's more remarkable than the powertrain is the four-wheel drive system. The RG Nathalie’s torque vectoring system sustains huge levels of lateral grip, meaning we suspect you’d be far more likely to chicken out than to explore the limits of the car. 

We also got a brief ride in an earlier development car that had been deliberately run down to an empty battery. In the two minutes that the car was parked between test runs, the fuel cell provided enough energy for the battery to power the car for about a mile. It then turned back and was powered by the trickle from the fuel cell on the return leg. It hit a heady 30mph uphill, but we’re told 40-50mph is possible on a flat run. 

It’s difficult to return conclusions based on such a brief experience. What’s clear is that there’s still work to be done, both to improve the performance of the methanol cell (engineers tell us a 10kW cell is in development) and to give the car the exterior finish and interior quality expected of a six-figure model. But there’s clearly some serious untapped potential, and we look forward to seeing the finished product next year. 

Q&A with Alexander Klose, overseas executive vice president of Aiways Automotive

How will the Roland Gumpert brand fit in with the future ambitions of Aiways?

"Gumpert will be about small-volume developments. It will be forward-thinking in developing cars with innovative technology or powertrains that will filter down to our mass vehicle production. For example, the fuel cell in the form we have here is way too expensive for mass production. But this car will allow us to showcase it until the price is right."

Is this a car targeted at Chinese tastes or a proper global product?

"The first market is Europe, and that’s the first market to give it homologation. It’s designed for western tastes as much as it is for Chinese tastes. Even right-hand drive is not that difficult; it will not be too hard to change the steering wheel to the other side. What there is in China, though, is less of a stigma or issue about the range of the car. In Europe, they think they need more range than they actually do." 

What other models do you have in the product plan?

We have shown the U5 Ion and RG Nathalie so far. With the U5, we will have smaller and larger versions of that car and more. We want to launch at least one new electric car every year from 2020. For the RG Nathalie, we have a whole range of thoughts of what we want to do with that in future."