We’ve seen motorbike concepts powered by small fuel cells, but this is the first time in my memory that a full-scale commercial test of such technology has actually gotten off the ground. Such is the case for the Clear Air Bike — a joint venture between Masterflex and German bike maker Hawk. Supposedly, this cargobike can handle loads up to 150 kg and travel 250km on one fuel cell needing only 90 grams of hydrogen within a 2.2kg storage unit. If that wasn’t enough, there’s even enough energy left over to power secondary functions such as lighting or cooling for transporting temperature sensitive goods. From the article,
With a motor rated at 250 watts it’s exempt, just like a ‘normal’ bike, from European vehicle registration laws (in other words no MOT, insurance or tax requirements). Potential uses include postal delivery services, city cleaning divisions, large industrial site transport and tourist applications.
Of course, practical use of this vehicle is limited to the nearest hydrogen station — but manufacturers are confident such infrastructure will become available once companies latch onto the advantages of fuel cell technology. “Pound for pound, hydrogen-powered fuel cells deliver three times the energy of conventional batteries and unlike petrol motors the only emission is water,” said one representative.
For more information, jump over to the article.
One Comment
The main thing holding back this technology is the lack of easily available hydrogen. This won’t be a problem when it gets cheaper to extract hydrogen from water, because you can get water more easily. Electric cars atill have the cutting edge right now in my opinion.