If you happen to be a hydrogen car and vehicle supporter then you’ve naturally developed a lot of patience. I’ve had the hydrogen car website up for 6 years and I’ve been writing this blog for over 5 years now.
And in this time, I’ve seen technology come and go while others just sort of creep along. The Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter, a hybrid vehicle, comes under the category in my book regarding technology that continues to creep along. On a positive note Suzuki and Intelligent energy have made the announcement that the Suzuki Burgman is now engaging in field trials in Japan.
The fuel cell vehicle has a range of around 217 miles which is not bad for any motorcycle let along one that runs on hydrogen. On March 9, 2011 I had talked about how the Suzuki Burgman has received Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) by the European Union clearing a roadblock to commercialization.
Now, Suzuki and Intelligent Energy are reporting that this same fuel cell scooter is starting to undergo field trials in Japan. My question is that couldn’t this have been done concurrently with the field trials in Great Britain? I mean, what happens next. Do these companies have to clear the red tape in Japan before they can conduct field trials in the U. S., Australia, China, India and other countries or can they do this concurrently?
Anyway, I’m all for seeing progress. I would just prefer the pace to be picked up sooner rather than later. And hydrogen fuel cell scooters in Japan, especially around Tokyo, is such a natural fit that I’m glad these two companies are at least getting started now rather than later.