Aqwon, the First Hydrogen Scooter

An anonymous reader writes "After 10 years of research and development, Josef Zeitler has developed the first hydrogen-filled two stroke engine scooter with technical approval from the German TÜV. In case of an accident, the tank will freeze and no fire or explosion would occur. Anyone can fill-up the tank on the scooter within 3 to 4 minutes, without being in any danger. The pressure sensor will transmit the data to a computer chip, which will then accumulate and send the necessary information, regarding the proper hydrogen mixture, to the injection jet. This process of refilling is possible with a newly developed system consisting of pressure tanks and a hydrogen generator. AQWON's top speed is about 50 km/h (31 mph), the power is 2.6 kWh and the weight is minimal. This is the same as a petrol/oil two stroke scooter. There is no extra maintenance service required."

Comments

Cool

[Anonymous Coward]

I wonder what materials the engine is made of? Hydrogen embrittles metals so a current ICE would fail much more quickly if running on H2.

The home fueling station is nice. Throw in a solar panel or two and now we're talking.

But alas it's a scooter and scooters in America are like dating fat chicks: you'd like to ride it but you don't want your friends to know.

Re:Cool

[Qzukk]

The cost should pretty much be in the pumps and whatever coupler you're using to connect the storage tank to the fuel tank. Of those, I wonder how well a standard compressor (relatively cheap) would do with Hydrogen. I expect that the pressure in the fuel tank is likely higher than an average compressor can reach.

The coupler will be the big thing. It has to be strong enough to maintain the connection, it has to close on disconnect so that your tanks don't leak and you don't wind up getting your skull crushed when the hose recoils (think uncontrolled fire hose here).

Hydrogen generation is just water+electricity, although I'm not sure what goes into seperating the H2 from the O2 in the air. I've never bothered, since my goal in generating hydrogen was to make a test tube explode. (there are also chemical reactions which generate only H2, however these require something else to be added to the water... like aluminumm, which forms aluminum oxide and H2.)

Re:Two stroke?

[Angry White Guy]

1) the power increase needed
2) the fact that Hydrogen is clean burning and you don't have to waste an engine cycle on fully burning your fuel.

Re:Two stroke?

[Anonymous Coward]

You are correct. Hydrogen was the Hindenburg's lift gas. The propellers were powered by huge diesel engines.

Nitpick

[Ed Avis]

The story contains a typo - the power output is about 2.6kW, not 2.6kWh (which would be a measure of energy).

Of course, if you are like the freezer manufacturer who quoted their product's power consumption in 'kilowatt hours per week', you could say that the scooter produces 2.6kWh per hour...

Hydrogen combustion is actually polluting

[orzetto]

I don't think pollution is a problem for hydrogen engines -- they don't burn hydrocarbons.

Actually it is. Hydrogen combustion does not generate CO2, but it has inherent problems with high-temperature combustion. This means, there is going to be high air excess to lower the actual temperature in order to avoid needing a tungsten engine which would be a bit expensive.

This high air excess will in turn cause a massive production of NOx, a highly pollutant compound (actually they are two, NO and NO2) that is caused by the high-temperature combustion. It is quite reactive and is one of the most toxic stuffs a petrol car spits out.

This is a known problem with H2 combustion engines. If you want a zero-emission engine, you have to use H2 with fuel cells, not in piston engines.

fueling station fits inside a cabinet

[nounderscores]

The fueling station fits inside a cabinet. the multimedia presentation shows a person posing with it, where it is installed next to a washing machine. The fueling station appears to be some kind of electrolosys device connected to mains water and power (site says that solar power might have enough energy to do a good job too) and storing the hydrogen in ordinary looking gas cylinders. Refueling takes 3 to 4 minutes according to the website (click the link to "Description of innovation" on this page - they like to put their info in little popups) and provides enough fuel for a 100km range.

The engine is oil free by virtue of design (uses some other lubrication method which they don't describe), and is very light.

I think that there might be a future in installing coin-op/creditcard refuel points in colleges and public transport hubs. All you need is water, power and city approval.

Re:As far as i know..

[Qzukk]

Hm, someone already warned you about solar cell folks swarming you, so here it is: Hook up a few electricity producing solar cells, drop the leads in a bowl of water, and voila, clean H2 and O2.

Re:First Hydrogen, eh?

[JanneM]

The Hindenburg was actually designed for helium, not hydrogen. Due to an embargo on the sale of helium to Germany at the time, they decided to try hydrogen as a substitute. Of course, it thus lacked some safety features that would otherwise have been given with that choice. Since the Hindenburg was a major PR thingy for Nazi Germany, it was decided that it would be safe anough anyway.

Just another example of how PR-based wish fulfillment is trumped by reality...

Hydrogen did not cause the Hindenburg fire

[The Original Yama]

For many years it was claimed that the Hindenburg caught alight because of its hydrogen. Recent investigations have proven this to be false. Hydrogen burns clear, but the Hindenburg fire was not clear at all. It is most likely that the paint on the exterior of the Zeppelin was the cause: chemical analysis shows its composition to be similar to rocket fuel.

Re:Alternative-powered vehicles seem to be cripple

[JanneM]

The size, effect and top speed is quite understandable. In Europe, those are the limits for a scooter that you are allowed to drive at the age of 15 and without a driver's license. That speed is also the normal speed for city traffic, and the way many european cities are organized, there is no problem driving such a machine to and from work, for example.

Re:Alternative-powered vehicles seem to be cripple

[Paddyish]

What? Alternative vehicles don't have enough performance? In Maine they do (and anyone who tells that it's impossible is lying).

Check out the UMaine Solar Vehicle Team's projects.

The Phantom Sol (fully electric) has a top speed of well over 120MPH, 400ft/lbs of torque, and a range of over 100 miles at highway speeds (65-75 mph). The 0-60mph time is around 8-9 seconds, depending on road conditions.

Using a 280HP 9" DC motor with 1800-amp controller (yes, 1800 DC amps - there's some thick wires inside), a 6-speed Camaro transmission and a 75-lb dual-friction racing clutch, the drive train is still relatively inexpensive (about $4000). And it has the performance of a slightly modified V-8 block. And all that's backed-up with 40 large lead-acid batteries. (another $4000)

It's street legal...and a joy to drive :oD

And since this always comes up:
Yes, electricity is often generated by burning oil. But burning it in a power plant is far more efficient than burning it in your car. And, with electric cars...the potential is there for green energy, should such a situation arise.

P.S. Did I mention the cool rear-view cameras recently installed? :o)

In this case - probably not

[MZdoctor]

It is true that NOx production is a problem common to all IC engines. It is however also an established fact that the retention of exhaust gases inherent in all two-strokes appreciably lowers peak cycle temperatures. Therefore two-strokes with modest power output and hence modest bmep (brake mean effective pressure) emit negligible amounts of NOx and the Aqwon is probably no exception.