Fuel cell motorbike wins backing

Posted : 10-08-2005

A fuel cell motorcycle is to be demonstrated in Taiwan after proposals won financial backing from the government.

The funding, hailed as an important milestone on the road towards fuel cell commercialisation, has been granted to Asia Pacific Fuel Cell Technologies (APFCT).

Fuel cell-powered motorbikes are sleek, almost silent and non-polluting, emitting only heat and water.

Earlier this year London-based company, Intelligent Energy, unveiled their Emission Neutral Vehicle (ENV) motorbike to generate interest in fuel cell technology.

ENV makes no more noise than a home computer and has a top speed of 50 miles an hour (80 kilometres an hour). It can run for 100 miles (160 kilometres) or up to four hours on a tank of compressed hydrogen.

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert the energy of a chemical reaction directly into electricity, with heat as a by-product.

The fuel and oxidant (oxygen or air) are supplied externally, enabling them to continue operating as long as they are fed. Unlike batteries, they never run out.


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