Prototype: ENV Hydrogen Fuelcell Motorbike

wicked looking motorcycle! and love the idea of a cool-looking, removable drive of sorts that you could slot into other things. Perhaps the cell isn't even owned by you but is a product service system...

this problem of vehicles being too quiet is an interesting one. i have been scared quite a few times by realizing how close i came to stepping in front of one of these new, much quieter city buses.

i seem to remember reading somewhere about directional sound e.g. that you could literally aim sound in a direction and it would be heard
there (or along that axis) but not elsewhere (or significantly less). this would seem like a good
way to keep the ambient noise in a city down but allow new, sustainable, silent vehicles to reign...

anyone know anything about this technology or have any other ideas about how to solve this silence problem?

Graham Hill

Harley riders love their powerful rumble for safety reasons and because it projects a mean-ness and macho image. Travel distance on a filling will limit cross country rides. I'm pretty sure this will be disdained by the US riders of big machines. Not to say an entirely different subculture could end up favoring them: why then the fast accelaration/big hog image? I think they're going after the wrong market with that apporach. Slow it down, create a new aesthetic, and add an approach warning technology and they are much closer to a mark.

If they could get the range fixed that would be a great military vehicle. A silent motorcycle.

0-20 in 4 seconds? 20-50 in eight? You'd be dead meat in city traffic. Bikes are small and light enough that you can get good milage with more traditional engines and still perform well enough to mingle with traffic.

Heck, just get me one of those KLR 650s that has been modified to take diesel. Once you're getting over 60mpg it is all gravy.

"The hydrogen fuel is stored in a removable cartridge with the fuel cell, called the "CORE"."

Seems to me, that if you wanted longer range, you could potentially have a carrying case / back pack of additional "cores"...

Hey, here is a possible solution. Look where you are walking! I like the idea of quiet streets- as if we don't have enough noise everywhere already. I have a motorcycle with a loud exhaust system on it and I still have people walk out in front of me.

I would think about getting one of these if they could get the speed up to 140mph + and get a better range out of it.

Anyone else thinking Protoculture?

ok so it can go 100miles on a tank. how much does a tank of fuel cost. I have seen postings all over the net but is it cheeper or the same to operat as a gas powerd scooter. yes its a scooter. at 50 mph it can not be a motorcycle in the usa.

I ride a Harley Road King. I ride a big bike because of where I live. I live in a highly congested city. I need to let the vehicles know I am there. I want other vehicles to think I will leave more then a mark if there is an accident. My pipes are loud. I want the drivers to know not to jump into my lane. Problem with small bikes are just that. Small..., too small to see..... too small to hear. Think about when designing a motorbike. I wear a patch on my vest. "LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES"

Can ya install a vibrator under the rear passenger seat so my girlfriend thinks we are on my old Triumph?

I think the idea of a motorbike that doesn't give off any polution is GREAT!! and people are allways talking about speed. veichles are supposed to get you to where your going and i'm only a kid now but in the near future i will be a adult and this, at the moment, is definatly my first choice of veichles

Nice bike for a kid but i still like my motoguzzi it;s big and i can get out of my own way if i have to

It looks just like the bike on that old show Streethawk.

I read this and the ONLY thing i think of is IDIOTS. How many of you hawe really stopt and thougt about this bikes potentials? I do ride alot in town (50kmh) and on the countryside (70-90kmh) & then you need a MAXTOP speed of 100Kmh & its nice with peace & quit. You say that "Loud pipes save lifes" but first of all it does not. Idiots whill always walk without looking & second of all what stops first ENV at 80Kilos at a speed of 50kmh or 350kilos HD at the same speed (YOU DO THE MATH "Nelson")!?! I did also think about what "Nelson" did write & my question is hawe he stopt and start thinking about what it says becouse it is peopel like HIM that think "becous i got this big thing no one whill mess with me" idé that is a BIG problem on the streets becouse they think i can handle this situation on this bigg thing when a skoter actually whould hawe been more suited becouse its outstanding way of going THRU the trafic when you drive it in the city. I did also think about what "Shawn" said & i whas glad first but WHY do you want a 80Kilos bike with no gears to go 230kmh+??? When the hell do you need that kind of speed i hawe a sport care that cane go 250Kmh+ and i NEVER EVER drive it faster then 120Kmh. So why those speed?

I hope you whill write back here and say what you think but first think over what you saying it is a PROTOTYP of a technology that dident EXIST even 10 years ago and you want it to do everything? Think like this: "Compare a A-ford with a new ford focus and see if you cane spot any changes".

Problem with Harley and other loud pipes is the sound is going the wrong way to help...

Nice English Mr Dice, but I must agree in most points you are right.
To tell you the truth I would be very interested in buying such a bike, because it is silent. Well about being environmental friendly, did you ever question how hydrogen is produced in the first place? The production of Hydrogen is not environment friendly, since it will require fossil fuel to produce the energy for retrival.
So in a way we are back at square one.

Why didn't 9/11 serve as a wake up call to all Americans that it is our dangerous dependence on foreign oil and the need to secure it militaristically that is largely the impetus for past and present terrorist aggressions against us. In light of such a realization, if you agree, I would think we would be demanding that our government immediately launch a Manhattan project for the development of a pollution-free, renewable hydrogen economy. Yet we're not. At least not from a majority standpoint. Apparently, the average citizen: A.) Has not come to such a realization. B.) Disagrees with the terrorist link, or C.) Agrees, but is content to maintain the status quo and suppress terrorism by force.

The United States is in a unique position to take the initiative to build a hydrogen economy now. I foresee a hydrogen economy that can be realistically built over a period of a decade, costing $1 trillion dollars. This might seem like a gargantuan expense over a 10-year period, but People's Weekly World News online reports that the Bush administration's 10-year defense plans are projected to total $5.8 trillion dollars over the course of fiscal years 2005-2014!! This is no doubt to finance present and future military operations aimed at securing access to oil in the Middle East. In monetary terms, the Bush administration is willing to spend nearly six times the cost of building the kind of hydrogen economy I foresee, on the continued development of a fossil-fuel economy over the next decade.

Factor in the cost in human lives of maintaining a fossil-fuel economy through wars, not to mention global warming, and it would seem that a calculated decision to stay on the present course in the face of a clear and much more viable alternative energy source would be downright immoral.

The U.S. is an economy of scale currently worth over $11 trillion dollars. On a cost benefit analysis, $1 trillion dollars over a period of a decade would be a small investment considering the huge benefits a hydrogen economy would bring--not just to the US, but to the entire world. That is why I can't understand the following:

Bush has allocated a meager $1.2 billion to hydrogen fuel cell research and development over a period of 4 years. However, according to Fox News, the current war efforts to secure oil in Iraq alone are exceeding $1 billion /per week. Based on actions, continuing dependency on oil is more important to Bush than pursuing alternative energies.

John Kerry was willing to vamp up the Federal research budget on hydrogen fuel cells to $5.5 billion over a period of 4 years (more, but still not enough) and in addition set a goal that by 2020, the U.S. would get 20% of its energy needs from pollution-free, renewable sources. He earned my support with this one issue. And yet he was voted out, which tells me that the issue of hydrogen energy is not all that important to the average American citizen.

Many Americans are ignorant about or content with oil dependency and the military/corporate powers that be (i.e. Bush, Cheney...) are all too eager to foster and cultivate their confusion and cash it in for profit.

To pull the plug on all their confusion, the hydrogen industry needs to build public support and a wide constituency, including elected officials, corporate leaders and investors. We can start by teaching the general public that: A.) Hydrogen fuel is Pollution-Free. B.) Hydrogen fuel is Renewable. C.) Hydrogen fuel will not cause acid rain, ozone depletion, or global warming. D.) Hydrogen fuel can be made from endless supplies of water using solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and tide power.

These simple, reassuring facts are the first message to bring to the general public to generate excitement and support for the hydrogen fuel industry.

In 1999, I starred in America’s first television commercial which touted the benefits of hydrogen fuel, reaching millions of viewers. Environmental Media Northwest, the U.S. Department of Energy, and McClure Middle School together produced this commercial. (To view it, go to www.4Hydrogen.com/psa.html and click ‘Streaming Video’ under ‘Hydrogen Girls’)

I plan to help produce more pro-hydrogen fuel commercials for television broadcast. My point is that more hydrogen-advocate organizations need to make more hydrogen fuel commercials reaching hundreds of millions of American and Canadian citizens, not only on television, but through radio and on the World Wide Web. If we hydrogen advocates pool our resources together and create pro-hydrogen multi-media commercials, the majority of American and Canadian citizens might no longer be ignorant and content with oil dependency and the war on terrorism. Watch my video documentary at: www.captainozone.com.

~Captain Ozone

In Response to "MCC" BMW in conjunction with Shell has designed and built a Hydrogen Fuel station at Munich airport in Germany.
It uses Solar power to create electricity and separate water into hydrogen and oxygen the oxygen is released into the atmosphere and the Hydrogen is stored in it's liquid form.
Check out: http://www.bmwworld.com/models/750hl.htm

It's a beautiful design.

Sure looks like a mountain bike though.

At 155lbs, It's lighter than a light 200lb scooter, but very very
heavy for a bicycle.
For a decade (or two) the threshold for reliable lightweight bicycles
hovered around 20 lbs.
Now, we've got 14 lb bikes raced by muscle bound heavyweights like
Lance Armstrong.
Mountain bikes that take a lot of thrashing are now in the 17 to 19 lb
range. Think about
how disproportionate it is for a 17 lb bicycle is able to handle the
abuses of a 250 lb frog
hopping curbs! I've bent a bunch of frames, forks, and wheels in my
time, but I always marvel at
how light and strong they design these things. It takes a serious
licking to wreck a frame.
With that in mind, and with the CORE energy unit at 45lbs, I'm
wondering where in the
world did they get the extra 110 lbs???

I think if they bring the weight down to 80 lbs, they'd have fabulous
performance. They
could also reduce the CORE energy unit's capacity and make the bike
much lighter.
I suspect that this is highly possible, and may be the next design
evolution.

If the bicycle design route is the way to go, then I wouldn't be
surprised to see more
bicycling manufacturers to produce eBikes or get into this industry.

Of course, that's just my two cents.... Everybody's a critic. hehehe

Robert

It'll be good for the city.
Your not allowed to go faster than 60km/hr in most urban areas anyway so there's no need for massive power, and the more people who have smaller scooter type bikes (or just motorbikes), the less traffic congestion, road rage, time wasted etc. City traffic is so annoying you spend more time looking for a park than shopping. And Im sick of riding my push bike / scooter and getting a mouth full of hydrocarbons from some dirty car.

however when it rains thats another story... :)

I see this as a great step in the right direction for motorcycle motorsport. As we have seen the emissions levels restricting venues for motocross and any other closed track events, a zero emission bike of the future would be awesome if development goes that far.

I ride MotoTrials (Observed Trails) and this type of bike bike would secure our sport for the future, if developed in mind that it would eventually have enough torque and response required for this type of riding. The no noise allows user friendly events to be staged that would have no effect on smell and noise to spectators, just man and machine using it its glory to display the skill etc.

With rising fuel prices, this may pull back motorsport from extinction, because only the very rich will afford to do it one day, and this sport will fall behind. Dont knock this technology, it has a huge potential fo mankind, just let evolution develop it further.

At least!
I give you my moral aliment (I do not have so much other) for this and similar work. Cities without contaminiation!? Is this our future? I hope so.
I suppose you have a great future with this stuff (using advertising). I'm waiting for a day of serial production of this veichle. Do you approximately know how much it will cost?

An Intelligent Energy spokeman recently said the bike would be on sale in the UK in 2007 and would cost £3000 - £4000.

This prototype Motor is very interessant and friend of ecologic and this prototype is a continuo one very change and safity for nature, but the design is a not very good, for lives is a very dangerous: becouse the saddle is a bad for ass, and not have the rear reflector very good, and saddle is a many possíble one person is to fall for the whell.
End; good luck for ENV Hydrogen Fuelcell Motorbike maybe Vesion 2.0 design
Nuno Silva - Portugal

The thing is in the future, it will be great, but not ideal. There are some major technological breakthroughs that must be achieved and we just ain’t there yet nor will we be there in the near future. At some point I will probably own one (the Honda version because it will work properly the first time unlike my current British bike). I ride all the time, in the cold, in the rain, in the heat, I don’t care. Do I think that “loud pipes save lives,” maybe, maybe not. I do know that people in general act as morons to everyone around them (me included). I know that when I don’t ride aggressively (like a moron to those I encounter) people do dangerous things. I have been passed in school zones (cars crossing double yellow lines to get around me, passed on a one lane road in my lane when the car operator decided that I wasn’t using my lane enough (I was in the left one third of the lane) and went between me and the curb close enough that I could touch the car at about 50 MPH. The reality is that this great marvel of technology would have produced one dead moron without question (if they didn’t finish me off, I certainly would have finished them off). It’s performance capabilities are negligent for our current world (Europe is a bit more considerate of space and right of way than we are but I wouldn’t even consider this thing in the three-ring circus of Italy, Asia, South America, or Africa.) and until the dream machine matches real world requirements there is absolutely no feasibility other than novelty. This can not meet minimum requirements. I would simply not be able to get out of the way of that moron driving the dump truck, bus, you, or your wife on this thing and no amount of time will produce a machine that will have the ability to do so. The only way to produce more power from a fuel cell is to stack fuel cells, how many do you stack before you have a car? Anyway, why do you eccofreaks take everything so personal, why do you let your perfect idealisms blind you to rational realism? MCC, Mr_Dice probably does not speak English as his primary language. Mr_Dice appreciates you for being as mature as a liberal can. CPT Ozone, you have all the answers and if people only saw it your way you could fix the world. Well dude, let me tell you, I have been to different places in this world and it is not nice. It isn’t Bush’s problem, he inherited this mess but feel free to take cheap shots. Do you realize that the Iranian Parliament closed one of it’s sessions last week chanting “death to America, death to Europe.” I agree with you, time to cut the cord and let them cook in the desert but the reality is we just can’t do that yet. We will one day. But that doesn’t fix the problem because we have what they want. We are infidels and have luxury and they aren’t and don’t. They are historic peoples founded in great traditions and deserve what we have achieved. They hate you and me. Anyone who says different is a fool. Yes, Mr-Dice, it is about oil but it is also about a lot of other things (on a tangent, do you know what gasoline comes from [hint-it ain’t pumped from the ground, it is a byproduct of the OIL REFINING PROCESS], what roads, plastics, heating, and manufacturing are based on). That’s right, OIL, not GAS for cars. Regardless of the fact that we stop refining OIL to get GAS, we still have a huge requirement to get OIL so you can drive your dream FUELCELLED vehicle (made with plastics) on roads (probably asphalt) to the mall and sublimate your existence in bliss. Back to the subject, they hate us, Bush knows this. The money that you requested that Bush is asking for won’t all go to Iraq or Afghanistan, some of it may go to your local police force to protect your kiddos from bullies at the mall. Some of it may go to your local school district to protect your kiddos from perverts or bullies. Thankfully, CPT Ozone, you have all the answers and if we just give Arabs hugs when we pull the magic rug out from under their feet they will be okay with it and hopefully they will stay one their side and not send any of their bullies to your kids school or to the mall. Maybe President Bush is aware of this, hopefully the next guy will be too. I know that I am arguing to righteous dreamers but man, get a clue. This dream machine does not “Zip” anywhere, it oozes, it British and will kill people. Thankfully it is only a prototype because the REALWORLD is not ready for it.

I saw a hydrogen motorcycle, with a real motor at a trade show recently. The company was hydrogen labs, http://www.hydrogenlabs.com

The bike sounded like something off of American Chopper and looked just as good. The kicker is that it ran off hydrogen and they had a home fueler to go along with it!

A hydrogen-powered motorbike is a great idea, but it is obviously something designed by someone who DOESN'T RIDE MOTORCYCLES. Obvious.

Bikers like POWER. Whether a "crotch-rocket," Harley-style cruiser or off-road bike, the driving factor is power, plain and simple. Torque or speed, preferably both, interests bikers. After that, style.

And this bike looks as though it offers NONE of that.

Free advice: Go back to the drawing board and come up with something that bikers might ACTUALLY like to ride.

Hugging trees might be cool, but I don't want to look like a pussy doing it.

Zog

First of all I want to commend the designers for taking such a trusting leap. They are attempting to introduce an earth saving product/concept into an extremely fickle society. Everyone knows the long term cost of how we live our lives at this point. We as a race have become parasites of the world we live on and people frequently forget that the earth and its atmosphere has only so much to give before it has to "reset" (i.e. the ice age)... We can all live in our selfish little bubbles and make demands on how we want things and what our preferences are but we have become stagnant. "War" and "Oil" are both 3 letter words, we would all be fools to thinks that the two are not related. By focussing on this revolutionary new fuel supply, countries could finally stop being distracted by their foreign policies and they could finally make some strides in domestic improvements. I'll be honest, I like motorbikes (do I think they are practical?...No) but the ball has to start rolling somewhere. Does anyone remember the 1st cell phone? We are all stuck on what we know, not on what potential there is for improvement. Either way the key word is "stuck". Thank goodness we have people who think outside the box out there trying to improve our lives even if we are content with what we have.

BTW the more support we show for these people, the more funding they will receive. This will lead to faster improvements and more competition, which will in turn make these products more affordable to the average consumer. Lets stop thinking the world is flat and send someone out there to see if it may actually be round.

Nice saying Roger!
I just need to add: Do you guy remember when we were shoving coal in burner to make steam? when the trains were rolling with the steam choo-choo?
Now they run on diesel! 30-40 years ago it was predominently coal... Why? because it pollutes less.

Are we gonna stay with fossil fuel and pollution?
or use hydrogen from solar energy?
BTW this motorcycle is great for citys and for the country... put some high frequency whistles and a honk for the people in front of you and you got something that could suit the overall polution!! (air-water-sound) every car should work like that one day!! stress would be reduced and anxiety would drop...less pills would be given out!!! ok ok i am taking it alot to far... but just think about the positive chain reaction taht could occur.
only negative would be the power, torque.... but thats a conception that we could put aside... why do you need that? to run away from cops because you were speeding at 180mph?

think out of the box... get out from your polluted little nest!! :)

This bike is suitable to country like India and China which is very congested.

But the cost of the bike and fuel must be reduced to get market in these countries.

Recently 'transport for London' announced that motorbikes and scooters are going to be allowed to use the bus lanes, for safety reasons.

That'll make getting to work a seriously easy proposition, and if i'm going to get a bike for city travel, its got to be one of these.

We dont need any gasoline,we need refineries.We have an ocean of oil in Canada.The President is working on opening old military bases and make new refinerys.We could have been on alternative fuel 20 years ago.Too many oil lobbiests.I am working on converting my gasoline car to hydrogen.If it works I will let youall know.

Yeah, we JUST need refineries; so we can consume all the Earth's petro-fuels even FASTER. What a GREAT idea! Hurry Bush, let's tap the forests that used to be sanctuaries for life so then we won't have fuel, forests, or wildlife 30 years down the road, but at least we'll be able to drive our American & Australian SUVs full of ADD kids to McWorld while we're watching 5 TVs mounted in the back seats while getting less than 13 MPG wondering why the hell the cost of gas is so high today... YOU'RE A FRICKIN' GENIUS! LET'S JUST BUILD MORE REFINERIES!

Dear Treehuggers:

I find these postings interesting and am saddened much of the opinions expressed are argumentative. Despite our personalities, there is a very viable solution, offering common ground, today, for a cleaner, domestically fueled, mode of transportation.

A biodiesel-electric hybrid with the capability to plug in nightly, would eliminate our dependence on foreign fossil fuels. As a conservative Republican, I see the folly of wishing for a hydrogen economy 20 years down the road and am upset our leadership does not see the strategic importance of this. Diesel and hybrid engines are costly but cost doesn't stop NASA sending manned spacecraft which accomplishes nothing scientifically while we build a $240 million bridge in Alaska for 50 residents.

Liberals and conservatives need to stop arguing, unite in a common vision above, and rather than create programs or taxes or studies, incentivize through tax breaks the available, tangible, solutions today. Please don't reply that I vote Democrat as I am pro life and pro 2nd amendment.

A lot of people are focusing on the specifics of the design of this bike, while ignoring the real message behind this prototype, the message being we are finally starting to design develop and actualize alternative energies. yes, its heavy bulky, has little torque, and only goes a couple of miles. 20- 30 years ago a computer filled a room,today it fits in the palm of your hand.Everyday people although they maybe in a small minority are realizing that the entire worlds economy is dependant on one resource fossil fuel. Millions of peole starve, while billions of dollars, euros, yen.... are spent on military budgets,I could talk all day on this subject alone, just stop and ask yourself, when this is happening is there not something really wrong with the world ? An earlier comment talked of spenditure on armament budgets compared to alternative energies, of course Bush is going to discourage this investment because the worlds economy is controlled by the oil companies, money hungry multi-nationals and individuals, which fuels the quest for more oil and more war. Do you think Bush's policys would hold up in goverment if we had alternative energies,and did not need to pillage other countries in the quest for more oil. Finally in response to the "Loud Pipes save lives" comment. Today we live in a world were people are consumed by greed and wealth, but the tide is turning, ask yourself do we need 6, 7 ,8 fuel guzzling cars and bikes. I'll agree yes they are fun but at what cost to us to our children, compare the world to that of a sponge you can only get so much water in a sponge before it leaks, we can only pollute and ravage the earth for so long before it cannot cope anymore. Who are we to commit such unwatten destruction, we only rent our space here for a few decades. I am 30, a father of two, and not a Hardliner eco warrior, I hellraise when i get the urge, and I enjoy life. I'd say i'm like most people out there, maybe just a bit more aware of what we need to do to change.

i agree with shane here. finally, we are venturing to vehicles that does not run in internal combustion engines. we've been stuck for more than a century using engines that pollute our environment. i hope this prototype will succeed.