Motorcycle of the Future Will Run on Fuel Cells, Create No Emissions

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It does not sound like a Harley, but a new motorcycle coming out soon could run on soybeans or ethanol. Except for a little heat and some drinkable water, the ENV bike produces no emissions, says Intelligent Energy, a British company that recently opened an office in California to launch its hydrogen fuel-cell bike in the United States.

It does not sound like a Harley, but a new motorcycle coming out soon could run on soybeans or ethanol.


Except for a little heat and some drinkable water, the ENV bike produces no emissions, says Intelligent Energy, a British company that recently opened an office in California to launch its hydrogen fuel-cell bike in the United States.


The ENV gets its name from being an "emissions-neutral vehicle." It can run on hydrogen stripped from bio fuels -- anything from sunflower oil to soybeans. A single, 5-ounce canister of hydrogen will power the bike up to 100 miles, and it has a top speed of 50 mph.


"The acceleration between 0 and 30 miles per hour is very brisk. It's well-suited for urban use," said Andy Eggleston, ENV project director.


The first ENV motorcycles are expected to be available in the U.S. and United Kingdom in 2007 for $6,000 to $8,000.


"We think the demand could ramp up quickly, but we are still trying to figure out what level to hit the market with," Eggleston said. "That will have a direct impact on the price."


The lack of readily available hydrogen is a problem right now. It can be bought from industrial chemical companies, or perhaps a local welding shop, but that's not convenient for most people.


California, which will be one of the first major markets for fuel-cell vehicles, has at least six hydrogen refueling stations and promises to have about 100 of them by 2010. But even that's a drop in the bucket for use by the general public.


Eggleston envisions motorcycle fuel being made from small gas reformers about the size of a shoebox. They could convert sunflower oil, soybeans, corn, sugarcane or other bio fuels into hydrogen gas.


The reformers would emit no more carbon dioxide than a plant's natural decomposition would release, adding to the bike's eco-friendly theme. Hydrogen also could come from petrochemical refineries where it now is burned off as a waste product.


"The current cost of filling up the bike's tank, about $4, could be reduced to 25 cents," Eggleston said.


Fuel-cell vehicles are considered by some to be the next big breakthrough in transportation technology. In such vehicles, a small chemical reactor converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, water and heat. The electricity drives a motor that powers the wheels.


Intelligent Energy says it has tested an ENV bike for 16,000 continuous hours. The fuel cell on its bikes is about the size of a small suitcase, weighs 40 pounds and can be removed in one piece.


"If something goes wrong with the cell, you can simply unbolt it, replace it and send the old one away for reconditioning," much like a battery, Eggleston said.


The motorcycle gets an acceleration boost from a battery pack that is charged by the fuel cell. The entire bike weighs less than 200 pounds, which increases its fuel efficiency.


Except for a slight humming sound, the ENV motorcycle is almost silent.


"This bike could save off-road motorcycling in the United Kingdom," because the sport is under pressure from tougher emission and noise regulations, Eggleston said.


In Wisconsin, companies such as Modine Manufacturing and Virent Energy are developing fuel-cell products.


Modine has 17 engineers working on its projects. The company already has played a key role in the development of prototype fuel-cell cars and buses, working with companies such as Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler.


Auto industry experts have predicted that fuel-cell-powered cars will be available for business fleets first -- in the next couple of years -- and to the general public in about eight years. Some have said fuel cells will overtake gasoline-powered cars by 2018.


Honda has leased an experimental fuel-cell car to a California family for everyday use.


Industrial forklifts powered by fuel cells are being field-tested in warehouses, said Mark Voss, engineering manager of Modine's fuel-cell products group.


"They don't lose productivity in the course of the day due to the battery running down," Voss said. "And the warehouses don't have to set aside a couple of thousand square feet of space just for battery maintenance."


Modine is working with Chevron Corp., of San Ramon, Calif., to develop ways of converting natural gas into hydrogen for powering anything from automobiles and motorcycles to trucks and buses.


The company is helping develop a technology in which hydrogen is extracted from natural gas through a process that uses heat, steam and catalysts.


Chevron thinks that in many cases, it may be cheaper and more practical to produce hydrogen at the stations where it's pumped into vehicles than to deliver the fuel by tanker trucks.


Instead of pulling up to gasoline pumps, motorists would fill their vehicles with hydrogen produced in a stainless steel tube about 6 feet long and 8 inches wide.


Virent Energy Systems of Madison has developed a method to make hydrogen from the sugars in corn and other plants.


Virent Energy is building a prototype fuel-cell generator that could provide electricity for homes or businesses in rural areas, said Eric Apfelbach, Virent's chief executive.


"Farms are a good example of where this could be used," he said. "One of our biggest markets will be in other countries where there are a lot of people without electricity, but they have biomass" fuel.


In addition to Intelligent Energy, other companies are developing fuel-cell bikes.


Vectrix Corp. of Newport, R.I., is working on a hybrid electric scooter powered by a fuel cell and batteries. The company expects strong demand for the scooter in urban areas targeting reduced air and noise pollution.


The scooter's fuel cell charges batteries, which drive an electric motor. The cell shuts off when the battery pack is fully charged.


It could be a couple of years before the scooter is available commercially, said Jim Plagenhoef, company North American sales director.


"The barriers to market are the cost and assembly of the fuel cell, and the availability of fuel," he said. When fuel cells are built in mass numbers, the costs will come down."


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Source: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News


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