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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."
uh. it has no emissions, its hydrogen powered dude. the case of a tree-hugger barking up the wrong tree (:
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.
Amazing! By any chance would it be codenamed Hindenburg, then? :-)
zWhat would an EWOULDBLOCK block, if an EWOULDBLOCK could block would? -- me
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.
You think that I'm crazy, you should see this guy!
is 100km. That's not bad at all really. But still, the major question remains: where are we getting hydrogen from?!
We don't have large hydrogen producing plants, and we don't have a major distribution center to support it. I'm assuming you'll have to fill up your tank at home, which means installing a LOT of equipment, at GREAT expense, at least until a good distribution system is in place. Yes there are some hydrogen refueling places, but not really that many yet.
I support many of Bush's plans, but he really has to drop oil, and focus on something even more proven: that technology advances, and new products replace the old.
OH jeez. It's a HYDROGEN two stroke engine. Hydrogen power sources mostly produce water vapor as their main exhaust. There's no pollution like in a engine that uses carbon based fuel. After the Hindenburg, nobody dared to use it anymore. On the other hand, every time you do the two-stroke, we KNOW what happens in YOUR house.
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
Simplistic formulae is best left to textbooks. It burns hydrogen and AIR. Air is NOT O2, air is O2 AND N2 and etc....
78% of our air is Nitrogen, 21% is oxygen, and the remainder is noble and trace gases.
You WILL get Nitrous oxide compounds even burning with this fuel, so yes, you will see exhaust pollution, just not as nasty or copious.
Also, the higher temperatures will form more carbon monoxide vs dioxide ratios than normal
This story doesn't have anything to do with SCO! Come on, where's today's SCO story? This isn't funny, man, I need my fix!
Unfortunately however, failing to learn the lessons of history, the manufacturer coated the scooter with a shiny silver coat of volatile powdered aluminum rocket fuel.
There seem to be a number of "alternative" vehicles, but even if you ignore cost, refueling, etc. in the USA they are impractical for one major reason:
You can't drive them in enough places.
I DON'T expect these things to drive on the interstate highways at 55+ MPH, but...
AFAIK, most of the electric and other alt-vehicles will do 30MPH (48kph). That's great if you ONLY want to drive through your city center but it's useless anywhere else. Not just this vehicle, but lots of alt vehicles are governed to very low speeds, and then you have general cars/motorbikes/trucks. There's nothing in-between.
Most cities have flattened out into suburban sprawl. Here there are as many people (and jobs) AS the city proper. Good luck driving anything limited to 30MPH on a 40MPH road: it may be legal, but you'll probably be pulled over by an ignorant policeman (or one trying to protect you from the 30 cars tailgating and making illegal passes around you).
There are a lot of drivers who believe if you impede their progress, you are stealing their lifeforce and so you are attacking them and they must defend themselves by going into "road rage" mode.
I'm not kidding either. It's perfectly legal to pedal your bike on most non-interstate (highway) roads, but unless it has a wide paved margin/edge like a breakdown lane, good luck... you'll be run off the road. The police generally aren't interested unless you are seriously hurt or someone recently died. In my small city, they ticket bikes on the sidewalk but not hostile drivers.
Sorry for the rant. An alternative-powered scooter would be SWEET if it ran 40mph with a range of 100 miles. Then you could drive to work and back without feeling like you were "asking for trouble" on the road.
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.
It's time to switch to a hydrogen based economy.
To get the ball rolling I will purchase your PC . stereo and TV/Video/DVD for a bucket of water. The water is safe to transport and you can extract the hydrogen at your leisure.
I look forward to doing business with you
Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
What truth?
There is no dupe
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.
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...
-- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
Last week I saw Bush driving a Japanese official (I think it was the Prime Minister) in a huge SUV, wearing cowboy boots and hat. Really American... (yes, I feel polemic...)
Mi domando chi à il mandante di tutte le cazzate che faccio - Altan
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.
Victims of 9/11: <3000. Traffic in the US: >30,000/y
If this thing is filled with hydrogen, will the weight be less that nothing? In other words, will it float midair? If so, what is the airspeed?
Hey, this could be cool! I want one of these!!!
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
CON:
you will end up in no more peices than a regular scooter would.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Now you've done it. If this site had any chance at all of avoiding being /.ed, mention of a hot girl surely made this inevitable.
This post is dedicated to all of those
I don't know why, but I'm really attracted by this scooter.
Those germans sure know about marketing...
GFK's
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.
It's amazing that the Hindenburg disaster still causes Hydrogen paranoia today. Even after it was proven that the hydrogen didnt contribute much to ther disaster (lesson: dont use huighly flammable material). After Titanic, how come we still have ships?
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.
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
How is the engine lubed? Gas two cycle engines "burn" the lubricating oil, a not terribly environmentally friendly process.
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.
OLPC Australia
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.
Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
When people think of hydrogen they think of the Hindenburg burning up. As it turns out it was not the hydrogen that caused the Hindenburg to burn, it was the coating on the balloon.
It's funny how people who fear using hydrogen to power anything still pump natural gas directly into their kitchen stove.
Outdoor digital photography, mostly in New Engl
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)
Even though these are larger than H atoms, the molecules are still tiny enough that they seep through the walls of cast iron tanks (the way acetylene does, but worse). Anything which will seep through cast iron is not suitable for use on a motor vehicle, for what should be obvious safety reasons.
That depends entirely on how much seepage you're talking about. It's like saying that since gas stations emit gas into the air it's obviously unsafe to have cars around them.
This is OT but the company that supplies my propane has it's storage facilities located right next to a welding supply company and despite the obvious danger they've survived for several years now.
The energy to split the hydrogen out of compounds must be coming from somewhere. How do you do it? Primarily with existing electric generation techniques - coal, nuclear, hydroelectric dams... there's no free lunch,
No shit? Anyone whose thought about this for more than about 2 seconds has to have figured this out by now. The usual counter to this is that it's still a lot more effecient to produce the energy in a central facility than in a million mini generators, let alone in a moving vehicle.
think a gasoline tank fire is bad? Never mind the fire itself for a moment: Wait 'til you see a car accident where a 2" diameter hole is put into the 1000PSI fuel tank of a 2500 pound car...
Hopefully no one is planning to store the stuff at that high of a pressure. Personally I'd rather have a fuel that floats up above the accident and singes a few birds than one that spills out all over the ground/people/whatever.
It was the first big disaster caught on film.
Likewise, the hazing incident at a local high school wouldn't have been noteworthy, except it was video taped. Club fires in 2003, or Rodney King in LA, or on and on.
People had died in huge numbers before, but now they could see it in theaters for themselves.
Fill a baloon with Hydrogen and light it. You get a nice, fast, fluffy flame. Fill a baloon with 2 parts Hydrogen and 1 part Oxygen and light it and your neighbors will be calling the police, because they'll think you just set off a stick of dynomite.
Now, not many people worry about the tank of propane that is attached to their grill. There isn't any oxygen inside that tank, so it is perfectly stable.
For those who cite the Hindenburg as a hydrogen failure, do some reading on further scientific investigations. The outer cloth was covered in a explosively flamable chemical which ignited before the hydrogen was an issue.
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.
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