Well, this is the week for hydrogen bikes and scooters as we have two separate developments in these areas. First up is the ACTA hydrogen bike which was exhibited at the EICMA Motor Show in Milan, Italy.
This hydrogen assisted bike can either be motivated by pedal power or fuel cell. The hydrogen is stored at low compression in a small one-liter metal hydride tank behind the seat. In hydrogen mode only the bike can travel around 62 miles at the legal speed limit of 15.5 mph.
ACTA also sells a home hydrogen generator that splits water and uses low energy consumption to recharge the fuel tank in a couple of hours. Now, in other news, engineering students and faculty at the University of Wisconsin, Madison have reconfigured a Vespa scooter to run on hydrogen.
According to the U-W Madison News, “The class, with the help of UW-Madison civil and environmental engineering professor Marc Anderson and Beloit public works fleet manager Dan Lutz, has demonstrated a new hydrogen-assisted system that runs a Vespa on a hydrogen-gasoline fuel mix.
“The students have been able to run the Vespa entirely on hydrogen both at idling and high-throttle speeds. Hydrogen also creates more complete engine combustion, meaning the scooter produces fewer emissions than factory Vespas.”
So, there you have it, a bike and a scooter at least partially running on hydrogen gas. What could be next – Razors and Pocket Bikes?