((I Hope Not))

The Future of Motorcycling is... Hydrogen and Electric Powered?

For naysayers who complain that today's 45 mile per gallon motorcycles ought to be way more fuel efficient than cars, a British company called Intelligent Energy has made a bold attempt to reinvent the future of two-wheeled transport.

The development of their ENV bike (pronounced "envy") has experienced countless ups and downs, but Intelligent Energy's plans include the goal of developing a hydrogen distribution structure in order to make the ambitious bike commercially viable. The machine, which was built with over 300 man-years of development, uses a 7-horsepower electric motor for acceleration which works in conjuction with a 1.5 horsepower fuel cell for cruising.

High end mountain bike components keep weight down, while a small briefcase-style removable unit called a Core stores hydrogen, which trickle charges the electric battery when not powering the bike. The ENV can hit around 50 mph, and its cruising range is about 100 miles (or roughly 4 hours of riding.)
[/align]Wednesday May 16, 2007 [/align][/align][/align]

 

Pass the bottle J W.

 

I heard that after a software download and dyno tune the fuel cell horsepower jumped from 1.5 to 1.8.

Heck of a deal.

 

I can see it now.

"I gained 30 amps by adding a hyperoverdrive chip".

 

Cool. Hopefully theyll be able to improve it to go faster and go further on a charge/tank, or whatever.

 

I'm sure uglier motorcycles have been seen.

But not by reliable observers.

 

You laugh now, but by 2015 you will be arguing how hydrogen is superior to gasoline like you are arguing that EFI is better than a carb today.