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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."
Well, just like it except my Jeep has the same maintenance in reality, this scooter has the same maintenance in theory.
:-)
So, it's just the same except newer and different
Eve Fairbanks says I drive a hybrid!LOL
hmm I wonder how much premium I'll have to pay to insure this baby
this looks pretty interesting, i'm not sure i'm sold on hydrogen quite yet. i just got away from "filling" up by using electricity for my transportation needs.
hydrogen requires quite a bit of energy to create, it's volatile, the only companies that really have the infrastructure to pull this off are the folks we get gas from now.
i currently use electricity to charge my "scooter" i get the power from solar panels or any plug anywhere (at work, on the go, etc..) anytime. i can charge up anytime and the power from a power plant is far cleaner than hydrogen production at this time.
i think hydrogen and electric is far better than petroleum, but hydrogen forces me to "fill up" electricity does not and it's everywhere and can be made with solar, wind, hydro, etc...
it seems like hydrogen gets us to a more profitable proposition for companies, it's like printer cartridges and razors blades for shavers, we need to keep buying. with electricity, it's different-- we can plug in anywhere, but the gas companies do not make money off that. i think that's the other reason the auto-industry is moving away from electric cars and more towards hydrogen and hybrid, granted...batteries aren't perfect either, if the systems are not planned properly you won't be able to recycle the batteries.
read more about my ride here at my site.
cheers,
pt
I wonder if this would not make a good replacement for lawn mower engines and the like. They are already being singled out as major producers of pollution. Range would not be a big problem for the typical user. The fuel coudl be generated with a system that generates a trickle of hydrogen, such as solar or wind, with maybe electrical as a backup.
Would be nice to see hydrogen get any kind of foothold in our economy.
PRO
Cant think of any off hand
CON
I might end up in a lot more pieces than I would like.
Would anyone care to enlighten us as to the point of this scooter? Why is this a good idea, and were the fuck on the high street do I get hydrogen to fuel it
Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
What truth?
There is no dupe
The presentation is just hilarious. Especially the picture where the blonde shows the tube locker. Really German.
http://www.discover.com/may_03/featoil.html
This is an article talking about new technology to convert garbage (literally) into oil. So instead of buying oil from OPEC, we produce our own and are 100% self sufficient. Also it doesn't add any new CO2 to the atmosphere since it uses recycled materials.
Oil/gas as an energy storage mechanism has proven safe, effective, dense + cheaper than all alternatives. Solar power--always 10 years away. Electric cars--batteries always heavy, don't store enough power, and wear out too quickly, not to mention incredibly expensive.
Well, it says that the engine is based on a conventional 50cc 2-stroke engine. These get lubrication by mixing motor oil with the gasline fuel. Unless they've figured out an entirely new way to lubricate the engine, you'd still get that nasty stinky blue smoke coming out from the burning oil.
Alternative-powered vehicles seem to be crippled..
Not this one.
Dimensions: 3.84m, 1.72m, 1.75m
Weight: 720 kg
Maximum speed: 130 kmh
Autonomy: 200 to 300 km
Recharging: 4 hours (electric)
Recharging: 3 minutes (air station)
The American's were unable to deliver the German's the promised amount of helium, due in no small part to the Helium Control Act of 1927, which made it illegal to export helium.
The Hindenburg was yet another FINE example of German engineering. The American's just couldn't back up their promises, and presto, you have a disaster.
Well, that's why I get the hydrogen for my hydrogen powered Jeep at an Exxon station :-)
Oh yes, a side topic, for those that don't know, most "solar cells" are made by the same firms that refine oil.
I have stopped being puzzled by the folks that say they use solar cells because they will not support "big oil", since they have no trouble finding a conspiracy under every unleaded pump, but they are 'unaware' that solar cells are made by energy companies.
Just thought I would mention that before the "solar power" folks swarm over your post.
Eve Fairbanks says I drive a hybrid!LOL
How is the engine lubed? Gas two cycle engines "burn" the lubricating oil, a not terribly environmentally friendly process.
For at least the past 100 years, the world has been trapped in a prison built out of oil. Indeed, the primacy of oil in the domestic and foreign affairs of industrialized states is without question. But if one thinks the petroleum paradigm endures because there are no viable alternatives, one would be wrong. The barriers to the wide adoption of alternative sources of energy are political and economic in nature, not scientific or technical. This essay describes a clean, electrically generated synthetic fuel that could allow for a grass roots transformation of the global political and economic system; a system ruled by a corporate oligopoly who's interests are inimical to those of people everywhere.
Oil: Control the World, Get Rich Doing It
Why oil? Why, after all these years, does the world still rely on oil and gasoline to power its industrial economies? There are two main reasons:
1) Oil, rather, access to oil, can be controlled by a handful of corporations with profound connections to the governments of the world. Therefore, oil can be used as a weapon to destroy economies, or allow them to flourish. Oil is a strategic commodity. No industrial state can function without large quantities of it.
2) The corporations that comprise the oil oligopoly make billions of dollars per year from the trade in hydrocarbons and related services.
Another reason for the importance of oil, from the U.S. perspective, is the interlocking scam between the oil companies, the Federal Reserve and U.S. Dollar-As-Reserve-Currency.[1] The dollar is the de-facto medium of exchange for global oil transactions. When Japan buys oil from Saudi Arabia, for example, Japan pays with dollars. This means that even when states other than the U.S. conduct oil related business, the U.S. dollar gets a boost due to the demand for dollars required to complete the transactions.
In 2000, Iraq decided to switch from dollars to euros as the medium of exchange for its oil sales. The U.S. recently invaded Iraq and thereby seized control of the second largest source of oil on the planet. The reason given to the public by the Bush administration for the invasion of Iraq was that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, and that the situation posed a clear and present danger to the U.S. And despite the faint echoes of Donald Rumsfeld's assurances that the invasion of Iraq, Has nothing to do with oil, literally nothing to do with oil, Iraq now stands to become the world's largest producer of oil.[2] It's probably safe to assume that Iraq will conduct its future oil business in dollars. In fact, you can bet your life on it.
De-Capitalizing Evil and Other Just Causes
Why use alternative fuels? The reasons will vary from one individual to another, but here are a few to consider:
Hydrogen: Part of the Problem, Not the Solution
Every couple of years, the media makes a great deal of noise about hydrogen; the wonder fuel of the future, etc. As a fuel, however, hydrogen has a key flaw. The short explanation is that hydrogen is extremely difficult to work with. Hydrogen transportation and storage requires very expensive and specialized equipment. Converting the public refu