Ambitious amphibious arrives

After seven long years of development work, Gibbs Technologies has finally managed to produce the world’s first amphibious vehicle that is capable of planning like a speedboat at speeds of more than 50mph in water and 100mph on land. Alan Gibbs, chairman and principle shareholder of the company told Eureka: “The first vehicles will begin to roll off the production line next month. We already have 15 pre-production customers who have been testing the vehicle for two and a half years now. But we expect to be manufacturing around 100 vehicles between now and September 2004.” Gibbs Technologies was established by New Zealand entrepreneur Alan Gibbs and Englishman Neil Jenkins. In his early days, Gibbs studied engineering and economics and became a New Zealand diplomat in London. On his return to New Zealand in 1960, Gibbs went into manufacturing and has more recently undertaken several projects for the Government there. In 1995, Gibbs built his first, fast amphibious vehicle. Shortly after this, he discovered a concept for an improved method of lifting the wheels. Recognising the potential for amphibian technology, Gibbs then decided to build a production sports amphibian fully compliant with marine and road regulations. In 1996, Lotus completed an engineering feasibility study that concluded the vehicle was technically feasible. In the same year, Gibbs founded his company in New Zealand. Initial concept work began in 1997 by Eurotech and MSX in Detroit, USA. In 1999, excited by the technology, Jenkins merged his business to form Gibbs Technologies UK and became MD. The project was then brought to the UK, as Gibbs felt that Britain was “the home of niche, specialist, low volume car production and all that Formula One engineering expertise. We couldn’t find engineers with low volume vehicle design and production expertise in the US.” The new amphibious car launched earlier this year, the ‘Gibbs Aquada’, is the first production amphibious vehicle capable of planing like a speedboat. It has a 175bhp Rover KV6 engine powering the rear wheel drive machine to 110mph on land and almost 35mph (30 knots) on water using a patented water jet propulsion system. This jet delivers nearly one tonne of thrust, enabling the vehicle to plane at such high speeds. In the past, excessive weight, limited power and the huge drag induced by road wheels limited amphibian speeds to 8-11km/h. The Aquada overcomes these hurdles with lightweight construction (1,350kg kerb weight) and folding hydro pneumatic suspension to pull the wheels up out of the water. “The vehicle’s power-to-weight ratio was critical,” explained Gibbs. “The main chassis is made from carbon and fibre glass composites, structurally glued to an aluminium plane rather like the Lotus Elise road car. Unladen, the vehicle is 1,400kg. It seats three people and the driver drives from the centre position.” The design problems that Gibbs had to overcome were enormous. As well as reducing the weight of the vehicle, the wheels and suspension system had to be quickly moved out of the way as the vehicle enters water. “The car wheels actually fold up and the exhaust pipework had to be re-designed so that it didn’t drag. We gave the vehicle a boat-shaped hull and a very sophisticated computer-controlled suspension system (which has seven patents). It works hydro-pneumatically and all Gibbs would say to Eureka is that it “has a variable height via a special ‘high-ride’ setting which raises the suspension by an extra three inches.” According to Gibbs, the really clever thing about the suspension is the way it incorporates a bump stop in the body of the suspension frame. The bump stop prevents the suspension travelling further than its limits. There’s also a rather unique system for preventing the vehicle turning into water mode when on the land, and vice versa. Double sensors and electromagnetic interlocks prevent undesired wheel raising on the road or lowering whilst in the water. The gearbox on the Aquada is four-speed automatic with reverse and the car has a 67-litre fuel tank for unleaded fuel. The vehicle is front ventilated with all-round brake discs. The Aquada can enter the water by any gradual descent, via boat ramps or directly into the sea from the shore. It has an automatic gearshift on land and the accelerator is used as the throttle in the water. The limited edition ‘Bond’ launch model, a three-seater with a central driver position, has a £150,000 price tag. The vehicle is fully legal for both road and water use. It is registered as a passenger car vehicle and a Category D craft as defined by the European Recreational Craft Directive. A standard driving license is all that’s required in the UK for both road and water use. An MOT certificate is required every year from the vehicle’s third birthday. There are more than 60 individual patents on the vehicle. Explained Gibbs: “Our ambition as a company is to be able to control the technology as best we can. As far as we know, we’re currently the company actually researching and developing high speed amphibious technology.” Gibbs has more than 100,000 square feet of assembly and office space in his factory based in Nuneaton. The site was originally a Marks & Spencer textile sewing machine plant and Gibbs described it as “perfect for what we wanted to do. It also gives us extra capacity should the need arise in the future.” As well as assembly, there’s an engineering workshop, styling studio, offices, marine water test facility and a CAD design facility. There are more than 100 employees in Nuneaton, 50 to 60 of these are design engineers, the rest are in assembly and manufacturing. The design engineers use Catia v4 for 3D modelling and various FEA software packages. Gibbs said the company is due to upgrade to Catia v5 shortly. But the really uplifting news about the Aquada is that almost all its systems and component suppliers are UK-based. And Gibbs also believes the UK does not have an engineering skills shortage either. “I’ve built a world class team here of UK engineers, many of which are engineering graduates,” he enthused. Gibbs has never asked the UK government for help or funding while developing Aquada. “I don’t think the Government should keep trying to pick winners from industry using taxpayers money. Why not tax industry less and leave people’s money in their own pockets to fund their own developments?” It’s a fair point really. As far as future applications for the Aquada are concerned, Gibbs could quite conceivably end up a very wealthy man. He explained: “Just about every other form of wheeled vehicle could become twice as useful by being made amphibious. High speed amphibious technology will not only deliver new forms of recreation and leisure but also serious solutions for urban transport issues and advanced capability for emergency and rescue services, police and the military.” Pointers * The UK-built Gibbs Aquada is the first production amphibious vehicle capable of planning like a speedboat * A 175bhp Rover KV6 engine powers the rear wheel drive machine to 160km/h on land and almost 57km/h (30 knots) on water using a patented water jet * The limited edition ‘Bond’ model has a price tag of £150,000 and the company expects to sell more than 100 vehicles next year Facts about the Aquada Amphibian * Transition time into water: 6 seconds * Transition time onto land: 6 seconds Marine * Maximum speed: 34.7mph * Time to plane: 5 seconds * Approx. 50 to 60 miles with reserver (1.5 to 2 hours duration) Land * Maximum speed: 100mph * 0-60: 10 seconds * Range: 350 miles