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: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.

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.

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.