Well, it’s the time of year for giving. So, if you’re into the hydrogen car scene what better gift to give or get than a toy or hobby hydrogen fuel cell car kit? There are a few on the market worth mentioning and one of them has even won Time Magazine’s Best Inventions 2006 award.
For the hobbyist, Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies has come out with the H-Cell remote control racecar. The H-Cell R/C uses a 30w PEM fuel cell, two metal hydride canisters and can achieve speeds of up to 21 mph. The H-Cell R/C is a 1/10th scale radio controlled competition grade vehicle with twin cooling fans and the original 7.2V NiCad battery was removed to make room for the fuel cell. The H-Cell carries no onboard battery and runs entirely off its fuel cell system. Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies has also developed a toy hydrogen fuel cell car that it calls the H-Racer.
It may be a bit geeky, but the H-Racer will drive for over 100 meters and comes with its own hydrogen refueling station, which uses solar power to extract the hydrogen from water. This is the car that received the award from Time Magazine. The second toy car worth noting is the Fuel Cell Car & Experiment Kit, which also uses a solar cell to extract the hydrogen and includes 30 experiments to try out with the car.
Then there is a third toy hydrogen fuel cell car made by Daido Metal. The Japanese PEM fuel cell manufacturer has been around since 1939 and the toy car uses electrolysis of water to create the hydrogen.
Now, think 3 years ahead. Hydrogen Big Wheel Tricycle anyone?
Um, YES. I would LOVE to build a Hydrogen powered Big-Wheel Tricycle! I am a welder, and I an currently riding a big wheel trike that I made to ride with my 3 year old daughter 🙂