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World's First Fuel-Cell Motorcycle
Alex writes "Rubber Magazine reports that the British company Intelligent Energy has unveiled today the first purpose-built, fuel-cell motorbike. The bike has a 6kW (8 hp) electric motor, top speed of 50 mph (80kph), a range of 100 miles (160km). The engine is completely silent, which might not go well with many motorcycle lovers. In addition it could also possibly pose an interesting safety issue, since a pedestrian or motorist would not hear it coming."
In addition it could also possibly pose an interesting safety issue, since a pedestrian or motorist would not hear it coming.
We bicyclists have the same problem, but if one obeys the rules of the road, there should be no problem. The problem bicyclists (and many motorcyclists) have is with people in their automobiles who fail to properly look out and are too busy talking on the damned cell phone while driving their gas sucking SUVs. (Disclaimer: I own a Toyota 4runner, but bicycle back and forth to work every day, and run many of my errands on the bicycle) My recent experience with a near miss can be read here.
The engine is completely silent, which might not go well with many motorcycle lovers.
I have to admit that when I did ride motorcycles, there was a certain magic about either the banshee wail of a sport bike as you wound it up while screaming up a canyon road or even the relaxed "POTATO POTATO POTATO" of the Harleys. However that said, this is going to be the future of transportation and I would most certainly embrace fuel cell technology that reduces the worlds outrageous consumption of oil. Plus, this ENV bike is a pretty sweet looking ride.
Visit Jonesblog and say hello.
... is a sidecar with a tactical nuke in it.
Motorcycles are already pretty damn fuel efficient as is.
Myths:
- Not all motorcycles are made by Harley.
- Not all motorcycles are cruisers or sportbikes.
- Not all motorcyclists like loud pipes.
-ted, motorcycling geekSomehow, I think that the top speed of 50 mph might not be that popular either.
The silence issue also exists for the electric cars. At low speeds or coasting they run pretty much silent and, since they're a lot larger, could pose as much of a threat. If you've ever run through LA and almost been hit by one popping out of a blind alley (cuz nobody stops at the end of alleys here) that you weren't able to hear while approaching, you know what I'm talking about...
Don't you people coordinate paid placements?
Okay I read the review, and I couldn't help but feel the guy writing the review is either a budding art critic, or an interior decorator.
Also I wonder how many people go to rubbermagazine.com and are a little disappointed when they get there.
I commute in ~20 miles from a rural community and gas prices are rising excessively and the oil supply in general will be/is running low. This is therefore the perfect mode of transportation for North Dakota in the winter...
The real problem with the bike's safety is its tiny weight: about the weight of the rider (80Kg/176lbs). Even a 300lb bike gets blown around by wind on, say, the SF Bay Bridge, has trouble hugging curves in mountain roads, and needs more acceleration to stay at speed despite drag. The other big momentum problem is that when a car hits you, you'll split the absorbed momentum equally with the ENV - while a heavier bike will absorb more momentum. As cars get heavier (SUVs etc), these collisions are really terrible mismatches for a bike, especially one which can't jet out of the way at higher speeds, due to limited top speed (50MPH).
The ENV is really a big, quiet H2 scooter. The difference is really just in the marketing, but that creates the mindset in the rider. Ride it like a Harley, get squashed like a bug. Ride it like a Razor, and rule the road.
--
make install -not war
Now all we need to buy is our own hydrogen gas station to refill the tank, hmm?
The engine is completely silent, which might not go well with many motorcycle lovers. This sure would make a drive-by easy though. I hate it when they run...
They are using the bike as an example of what a CORE power system is, think if it as a big battery, you can take the battery out of your motorcycle and put it into your jet ski.
But the battery is reusable, and can be used else where. Camping, Emergency Generators, vehicals, kids toys, etc.
And as for the quiteness of them, new problems are only new challenges. Most people cant hear whats outside their car now, with the radio on, speaker phone, and kids crying in the back.
Funny how quiet is a drawback, when I'm thinking quiet traffic is worth it. You dont jay-walk for a reason, now you dont hear the car hitting you, maybe its darwinism in realtime.
Imagine watching a big Harley gang with big Harley people with big Harley clothes with big Harley expressions overtaking your Corolla - but the Harley engines are silent!!!
...
mu ha ha ha
Most modern, efficient vehicles are very quiet. I doubt most SUV drivers hear a Honda Civic next to them on freeway- even if they aren't on the phone or listening to the radio.
Why is it any different with a motorcycle? Loud pipes annoy the rider and nearby pedestrians. The visibility issue with motorcycles is more a function of size than volume.
-ted, motorcycling geek
In the future, we'll all carry 2KW generators to power our local environments. Mobile devices, climate control, transport. Who knows - when the dollar collapses and oil runs out, maybe our currency will be denominated in Kjoules, which we trade for drinking water. The "Core" transportable fuelcell that powers the ENV is a step in that direction - we're always "in our cars", which transform around us by our needed functions. But I don't get it with this ENV. How is its motor "6KW", while its power supply outputs only 1KW? Is it really all science fiction?
--
make install -not war
I have always wanted a quiter bike. I do not like the loud 'like at me' rumble (which may exceed legal limits in many places) that some riders seem to like.
Now my 250cc Rebel (my firts bike) puts out 15 HP. So, an 8 HP bike might be a bit weeny for highway cruising, but this sounds like a great city bike.
In terms of noise again, bicycles and even Segways make no (or very little) noise. Its not the pedestrian who has an issue. Its the driver.
If its licensed like a standard Gas powered bike, then the driver knows the rules on riding and should not be endangering anyone.
I applaud this and all the other cool alternative fuel bikes. My little bike gets 70 mpg, and my biggest get 35 mpg. Not bad compared to most cars people actually drive, but they still add to the pollutiuon level none the less.
50mph in London or for that matter any British city ? good luck with that between 7am-10pm
Even on my bike 500lbs I get tossed around alot on windy days... I wouldn't want to be on this bike if an 18 wheeler passed me on the highway.
"Thanks to the remote control I have the attention span of a gerbil."
And those damn pedestrians - totally silent!
You'll hear me coming - I'm the one yelling "HEY ASS****!" at the car trying to hit me.
Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and he'll say "WHERE'S MY FISH, YOU IDIOT?"
although I mostly agree with the wind issue (I've experienced that a few times myself) I am not quite sure I understand the rest of your observations and I'd like to qualify the wind issue a bit more anyways.
The wind is a problem if you happen to sit fairly high up on a motorbike with a big side profile (aka most 'high performance' road bikes). Even if said bike weighed a lot you'd probably still be moved around quite a bit as you go fast. The wind is a lot less of an issue on choppers since you're sitting way lower and they have way smaller side profiles.
= has trouble hugging curves in mountain roads
huh? What does weight have to do with anything when talking about cornering? You don't see MotoGP riders strapping anvils to their bikes to corner better, do you?
= needs more acceleration to stay at speed despite drag.
this doesn't make any sense: AFAIK the drag is proportional to the bike's frontal area, not to its weight.
= while a heavier bike will absorb more momentum.
if you collide with a car and you're on a motorbike you're going to be thrown off it whether or not the motorbike weighs 200lb or 500lb: most/all cars outweigh you by an order of magnitude anyways, and let's not even talk about SUVs.
= these collisions are really terrible mismatches for a bike, especially one which can't jet out of the way at higher speeds
most of the bike-car collisions I've seen/heard about couldn't be avoided by being able to accelerate or go faster: if that was the case there would be no accidents involving high performance road bikes, right?
Personally I think this bike is perfect for European city commuting (since it's near silent and non-polluting odds are you'll be able to drive it in the city centres that are currently off-limits to mopeds and motorbikes) but won't really do much here in North America, although you might see the odd one around (like I've seen a S.M.A.R.T. car the other day, the likes of which you see way more often in Europe).
The 80kph speed limit is about perfect as well, as traffic usually moves around at 50-70kph in town: my old moped was capable of hitting 60-65kph (on a good day, with some tailwind) and having an extra 20kph would be way more than enough for those times where traffic is moving faster than usual.
-- the cake is a lie
...harnessing the raw power of the sun between your legs?
...could then be re-charged from a mini hydrogen creator, the size of a shoebox.")
Eep.
(From the article: "a bike
(Granted, not fusion, but still. Hinden-nads... Eep!)
- - - -
KickingDragon
Pardon my French, but fuck 'em (read till the end for why, I have a little explaining to do first).
In my state (Massachusetts) a bunch of do-gooders are working on legislation to ban "aftermarket" exhaust systems on cars (and cars only) which are "louder" than the OEM systems. This was originally intended to stop all the idiots with Hondas from putting practically-open mufflers on their 4-bangers. Which IS really annoying.
However, for people like me who own an older German car for which the exhaust system OEM costs about a bazillion dollars, pretty soon I won't be able to install a significantly cheaper exhaust system, simply because it is slightly louder than the original, and the original was dead quiet...or because I'd have to have it "tested" or the manufacturer would have to have it "certified".
Meanwhile, some guy who thinks he's really Bad Ass (TM) gets to run COMPLETE STRAIGHT PIPES off his damn Harley that are so loud they make your chest pound. Or some college student on a crotch rocket puts mufflers on his bike that are so loud he sounds like an screaming F1 car. Nevermind none of these idiots have catalytic converters, and the damn things are little better than lawnmowers; most of them are still using carbs (yes, I know some "sport bikes" are now EFI, whatever, that's not the point). They're emissions -nightmares-, and while I have to have my car strapped to a dyno every 2 years, he barely has to have his blinkers checked.
So, until that law applies to them (it does NOT) AND cops start holding motorcycles to EXISTING noise limits, don't you dare go telling me what I can/can't do with my car's exhaust...and certainly don't whine to me about how a fuel-cell bike makes no noise.
Thank you. Yes, I am done.
Please help metamoderate.
Wow, a Fuel Cell ($$$$) bike that has almost caught up with a pure Electric vehicle. Except that it's top speed is lower, it costs more to build, and is far more difficult to refuel. Yup, Fuel Cells are the future! The only reason Fuel Cells are being pushed so hard is that they retain the Big Company infrastructure needed to use them. You will need a large distribution network if you want to refuel lots of cars, AND you will need to produce all that hyrdrogen - which will likely be made from oil. EV's can do it now at lower cost than Fool Cells, but for some reason are being ignored. (Or actively discouraged - like GM crushing the quite nice EV1's.)
The real problem here is that pedistrians are silent. I hate it when they sneak up on my car and jump out in front of me. If my ride is required to have lights and be noisy, then let's be fair. Why are foot travelers the only ones allowed to move about in stealth mode? Make the carless/bikeless among us wear noise making devices that indicate velocity (and maybe backup beepers too for reverse mode). I think this should apply to pets too.
my 125cc honda XLR (check http://www.honda.com.br/ is a retired bike but they have a similar replacement) make 210km on 7 liters of gasoline, 30 km/l it weighs 110 kg (dry). with me + oil and fuel is about 185 kg. 30 km/l with a 12.5 hp engine at constant 80 km/h moving 180 kg, take note.
my statio wagon is a 1200 kg volkswagen parati with a 1800cc engine produces 90 hp and at 80 km/h it does... 12 km/l.
an engine 14 times bigger only needs twice the fuel to move a car 7 times the weight of the motorcicle.
things get worse as the motorcicle engine gets bigger. a honda CB-400 with a 400cc engine does 15 km/l a CBR-7500 spends more than my car.
whos "pretty damn fuel efficient" now ?
What ? Me, worry ?
...who read the article and saw this: The CORE.. is a radically compact and efficient fuel cell, capable of powering anything from a motorboat to a small domestic property and thought, "Why would I want to drive a house around?"
It says rebel -- with a social conscience.
Just the thing for picking up vegan babes at the PETA rally.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
In addition it could also possibly pose an interesting safety issue, since a pedestrian or motorist would not hear it coming.
Yes, but the bike will be a huge smash hit with NINJAS!
'My name is robert, and Ninjas are soooo sweet.'
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
So let's just throw this fuel cell technology out the window.
We've developed the technology to power engines on hydrogen, an element easily extractable from the most abundant substance on our planet, water, but the fact that these very engines are silent poses a safety issue!
Oh well, we're just consumers. Who says we even have the right to spend less by not buying gasoline or even consider helping our planet by not polluting the air? The very thought!
I for one don't care much for people broadcasting the fact that they drive a motorcycle with a perpetuated engine fault (Harley).
I think they should perhaps have speakers embedded into their helmets to blast their own ears away.
-grin-
I think some form of speaker system can be installed which will simulate some form of engine noise (Star Wars vehicles come to mind...) to help with the safety issue. Besides, the noise of some motorcycles prevent the rider from hearing others around them.
I too drive a 3.0 litre Porsche 911 SC, and am painfully aware how bad it is for the environment (and my fuel budget). Fortunately event though my exhaust needs to be replaced (I almost sound as bad as a free-flow modified VW Beetle!) the car is totally silent within. (Pretty cool really)
I'll miss the roar I think, but then again I'm all for viable (quasi-)electric vehicles.
whose bikes travel faster than 761 mph, not being heard by people we are overtaking is already a big problem.
Dan East
Better known as 318230.