This Skoda Rally Car Has A Drinking Water Generator In Its Boot

Skoda has a student program in place, where students create concept cars for the Czech automaker. In one such car, particularly the Skoda Student Concept Car no. 8, a group of 25 apprentices created a rally car - named Skoda Afriq - based on the Skoda Kamiq urban SUV. The project was developed with the help of Skoda Motorsport, and took around 2 000 working hours to build it, spanning 4 months. What is interesting about this car though, is that it has a drinking water generator in its boot.

Watergen drinking water generator fitted in the boot of the Skoda Afriq rally car.

The drinking water generator is made by an Israeli company called Watergen. It uses the humidity in the atmosphere to generate drinking water in a process similar to that of the working of an air conditioner. The air first passes through an air filter, and the purified air passes through a heat exchanger, where the water is condensed. The water is then purified using UV light and a cascade filter, which also mineralises it, providing drinking water. The system was added to the car to raise awareness about water scarcity, and can generate up to 20 litres of water a day, depending on external conditions like humidity and air temperature.

Tech behind the Watergen Atmospheric Drinking Water Generator

As for the rally car itself, the car is a thorough rework of the Skoda Kamiq urban SUV. The rear doors of the SUV were welded, and new enlarged bumpers and wheel arches replaced the existing ones. The car also borrows many components from the Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo, like the tailgate with an integrated spoiler, additional headlights, ventilation systems, quick release fasteners for the bonnet, and many things on the interior too, including the steering wheel, dashboard, cameras and microphones, six-point seatbelts and special racing seats. These additions were completed with the help from Skoda Motorsport.

The Skoda Afriq was made by 25 students with the help of Skoda Motorsport, and took about 2000 working hours to complete.

Upon the creation of this rally car, Maren Graf, Skoda Auto Board Member for People & Culture, said, "Our Student Concept Car this year, the Skoda Afriq, is the impressive result of the tremendous creativity and talent of our up-and-coming employees". "I am especially pleased with our apprentices' high level of innovation, which also has sustainability at its core", she added.

The Skoda Afriq is all set to hit the rally tracks.

The car also had to undergo extensive modifications to incorporate the 4x4 drive system from the Skoda Octavia, including structural adjustments like leveling out and reshaping of the body. The car also gets a reinforced suspension to handle its rally duties. The Skoda Afriq pays homage to the roots and the original home of the 'Dakar', and could enter any special stage of the legendary Dakar Rally off the bat.