Hugo Spowers
British entrepreneur-engineer Hugo Spowers is the founder and driving force behind Riversimple LLP, a company whose purpose is “to build and operate cars for independent use while systematically pursuing elimination of the environmental damage cause by personal transport.” Riversimple is developing a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle for pilot trials in 2012, and production in 2013, which has energy efficiency equivalent to 300 mpg. Hugo designed racing cars for many years before moving into hydrogen fuel cell technology and realizing that a new architecture was necessary, built around the possibilities of fuel cell technology, rather than squeezing a fuel cell into a car designed for a petrol engine and then trying to persuade it to behave like one. An Oxford University trained engineer and entrepreneur, Hugo founded and ran a business for over 15 years, designing and building racing cars. He left motorsport due to environmental concerns and obtained an MBA from Cranfield University.
