In a city that put a ski slope in the desert, Hadi Mirhejazi’s horse-powered car almost seems logical

Text_Matt Farquharson Photography_Phanos Lazos

It’s normal for a car’s power to be measured according to equine output, but the Naturmobile has its battery charged by a horse jogging in the back seat.

Its inventor, Iranian engineer Hadi Mirhejazi, recalls no specific eureka moment, but credits two influences for his inspiration; a childhood surrounded by horses in rural Iran, followed by a career as an agricultural mechanical engineer. Building the Natur-mobile was hard work, but after 26 months of workshop tinkering (and an accident that clipped lumps of flesh off three fingers) he was ready for a road test.

It’s fair to say that the people of his home village of Drakah, just north of Tehran, had seen nothing like it. “It was terrible,” Hadi recalls. “The horse was not adjusting and many of the devices of the vehicle were not working. Even though it was the middle of the night, many people gathered around and wouldn’t let me run it.”

For the second test, Hadi had two cars drive ahead of him to clear bemused spectators out the way. “People were shouting bad things at me,” he says, “but by the third or fourth Unfortunately, Hadi doesn’t own a horse and has to hire one for demonstrations. For J Magazine’s visit to his Jumeirah home, a less-than-life-sized stuffed toy is used instead. Under such circumstances, it’s hard to imagine the Naturmobile powering down the Sheikh Zayed Road.

With admirable restraint, Hadi explains that he does not see the Naturmobile as a replacement for the world’s 650 million cars. He was originally driven by curiosity, and his previous inventions include an underground water pump and a multi-fuel engine that can run on anything from diesel to vegetable oil.

He hopes the Naturmobile will make him rich while making the world a less polluted place. He plans to cover the vehicle with sponsors’ logos – much like an F1 car – while educating children about alternatives to gas-guzzling automobiles.

Despite claiming to have already had offers that run into millions of dirhams for exclusive use of his vehicle, Hadi is holding out for a sponsor for that round-the-world trip. This trip would fund his next project; a horse-powered bus, with four horses downstairs, and dozens of tourists on the top deck enjoying a spot of sightseeing.

How It Works

The treadmill Made of carbon fibre and fitted with a suspension system, this tilts backwards, prompting the horse to walk.

Power The treadmill powers a small battery, a 36-speed gearbox, lights and the horn. The Naturmobile can run for 15 minutes on stored energy if the horse needs a rest.

Safety The horse is strapped to a harness, and a thermometer measures body temperature. A jacket of water pipes keeps it cool, as there is no A/C.

Emissions A bag fitted to the horse’s rear catches solid emissions, while a funnel and pipe under its belly catches liquid. This runs to a small plastic container.

Speed Reached 45kph in tests in Iran (pictured above), with the potential to do 80kph.