Fuelled by Innovation

Fuelled by Innovation

Explore the world of alternative fuel vehicles. Some are homegrown in Saskatchewan; others came from beyond our borders. From the practical to the fanciful, all reflect a spirit of innovation.

Connect past to present as you discover that many of today’s innovations are rooted in yesterday’s ideas.

Rauch & Lang Electric Car

In 1911, the Rauch & Lang electric coupe was billed as a ladies car, the latest in luxury. Some models came decked out with crystal bud vases. The driver steered with a tiller bar instead of a steering wheel.

• Make and Model:Rauch & Lang Electric
• Model Year:1911
• Production Location:Detroit, Michigan
• Fuel type:Electricity
• Seating Capacity:4
• Weight: Unknown
• Max speed:18 ½ mph
• Steering:Tiller bar

U of S Supermileage Car – Tensor

Thirteen hundred miles per gallon? University of Saskatchewan engineering students set a North American record for fuel efficiency with Tensor, their 1982 entry in the Society of Automotive Engineers Supermileage competition in Marshall, Michigan. This was the third time the U of S took top honours with more wins to follow.

• Make and Model:U of S supermileage vehicle prototype
• Model Year:1982
• Production Location:Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• Fuel type: Gasoline
• Seating Capacity:1
• Weight: 45 kg
• Body:Aluminum, Saran
• Max speed:Unknown
• Max km/L:461

Gofer EV

Saskatoon’s PapaBravo Innovations prototype Gofer electric vehicle (EV) rounds out the exhibit. Built in 2010 for the potash industry, the EV proved so successful that it sparked a new business and by 2013 all Saskatchewan potash companies were using PapaBravo Evs in their underground operations.

• Make and Model:PapaBravo Innovations Gofer EV
• Model Year:2010
• Production Location:Saskatoon, SK
• Fuel type: Lithium iron phosphate batteries
• Seating capacity:4
• Weight:Unknown

Wind Car

In the 1970s, using a Volkswagen chassis, windmill parts and wind scoops made from oil drums, one clever Saskatchewan farm boy cobbled together a vehicle powered by the wind. A stiff breeze propelled it about as fast as a person could walk.

• Make and Model:homemade
• Model Year:1970s
• Production Location:Tonkin, Saskatchewan
• Fuelled Type:Wind
• Seating Capacity:1
• Max speed: at least 3.5 km/h (brisk walking speed)
• Weight: unknown
• Body:VW Beetle chassis
• Engine Type:none. The wind car has no motor or engine, the turning blades power its moving parts rather than steam or internal combustion.

Straw Gas Car

Heads turned on an August day in 1918 as a car with a giant gas bag suspended overhead made its way from the University of Saskatchewan to downtown Saskatoon. Two professors were out for a test drive in a 1918 McLaughlin touring car powered by straw gas. The WDM has re-created the professors’ experimental car for this exhibit.

Brooks Steamer

You’ve heard of steam-powered tractors. What about a steam car, or perhaps asteam bicycle? In 1926, a Brooks Steamer rolled out of the Stratford, Ontario factory. Equipped with a quick-starting flash boiler, the Brooks was ready to go in about ten minutes.

• Make and Model:Brooks Steamer
• Model Year:1926
• Location:Stratford, Ontario
• Fuel Type:Water / kerosene
• Seating Capacity:5
• Max speed:56km/h
• Weight: 1724 kg
• Body:Composite fabric (Meritas)

Electrek

Did you know that Saskatchewan Power tested a Denver-built electric car in the early 1980s? Sixteen lead-acid batteries provided the power. But in the dead of winter when the driver had to choose between power for the motor or power for the heater, testing came to a standstill.

• Make and Model:Electrek
• Model Year:1981
• Production Location:Denver, Colorado
• Fuelled by:16 six volt lead-acid batteries
• Seating Capacity:5
• Max speed:+100 km/h
• Weight:3350 lbs
• Body:fiberglass reinforced plastic
• Engine Type:23.9 kW electric moto

Steam Bicycle

Nearly 60 years after theBrooks steam powered car, Saskatoon’s Bob Grosse accepted a friend’s challenge to build a steam bike. Bob’s bike was just one reflection of his love of steam. He used an old bicycle and an engine he designed and built from scratch.

• Make and Model:homemade
• Model Year:1981
• Production Location:Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• Fuelled by:Steam, propane
• Seating Capacity:1
• Max speed: Unknown
• Weight: Unknown
• Body:Bicycle