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Tim's Corner
The George Orwell solution
Smart energy produces the world’s first, purpose-built fuel-cell motorcycle,
while the oil companies in the United States are digging deep down into the pockets of every motorist, including those of us on two wheels. A British firm unveiled production plans for the world’s first production, Fuel Cell Motorcycle.
The ENV (Emissions Neutral Vehicle) motorcycle was designed by award winning designers, SeymourPowell, who happen to be two of the six designers who have conceived this alternative fuel vehicle.
The fuel cell technology is fully detachable from the motorcycle being powered by it. This new, compact fuel cell can power anything from the motorcycle you ride to the residential house you live in.
According to intelligent energy CEO Harry Bradbury, people will be able to leave work on their motorcycle or car, arrive at their county-side location, remove the small fuel cell and re-attach it to their home and power a domestic house with the same fuel cell.
After use, the same fuel cell can be fully re-charged from a mini-hydrogen creator that is the size of a shoe box!
Currently, the mini-hydrogen creator will be able to create hydrogen from future fuels such as bio-ethanol (Derived, from soy or sugar cane), giving consumers a cleaner way to power their transportation and power their own homes.
This type of new technology would assist those who live in remote communities and have a hard time paying the $25,000 dollars to the local utility companies to have power-lines moved onto their properties.
The ENV motorcycle can move along at about 50 mph with the same noise as a laptop computer. On one fuel cell, the ENV can last more than 4 hours of continual use without any need to re-fuel. Currently in the works, is a fuel cell capable of more than double these capabilities.
The bike under development using this new technology will not have traditional transmission gears. This direct drive, motorcycle will be a lightweight, aerodynamic machine capable of off-road use. With good ground clearance, this motorcycle has a carefully considered power-to-weight ratio. The bike’s frame is made from hollow-cast, aircraft grade aluminum, with a fully integrated 1kW fuel cell generator, providing power on demand, directly to the drive train. This type of drive train might be similar to the well known, Baker Direct Drive transmission used by U.S. bike builders.
The core is a PEM-type fuel cell, one of five different fuel cell types, all having different attributes in terms of size and ability to perform work at high temperatures. The PEM
(Or Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cell type is the most popular for vehicle applications, due to its ability to stay cool at all temperature ranges.
Each fuel cell is a multi-layered sandwich of plates and MEA’s (Membrane Electrode Assemblies), in which the MEA acts as a catalyst during an electro-chemical reaction, producing water and electricity from hydrogen and oxygen.
This water by-product is so safe; it can be drained from the unit and consumed by anyone who is thirsty.
For motorcycle production, this technology can be very attractive since it is very compact and light weight. This technology has a patented method to prevent corrosion from the constant contact to the water by-products, solving the only negative aspect of applying this technology to every day applications.
The ENV is a complete pre-production motorcycle, like the new, 50kW powered light aircraft developed by the same team. Many vehicle applications are in the running with this new fuel cell technology such as the four wheel vehicles using 5kW and 10kW power cell sources.
Performance data:
Acceleration 0-20 mph in 4.3s
0-30 mph in 7.3s
0-50 mph in 12.1s
Top speed 50 mph
Range at least 100 miles
Bike mass 80 kg (Including the core)
Hydrogen is 99.9% pure
Oxygen is taken from air
Hydrogen refuel time is less than 5 minutes.
The performance data clearly shows we are heading in a new direction with fuel cell technologies. However, in order to make this work, we will have to fight 100 years of oil company dominance. Detroit has made this attempt in the past, with a Ford-Mercury vehicle (19-50’s) that could reach 150 mpg on regular gas. However, the inventor and proto type soon vanished. (History Channel)
Most recent, Suzuki motorcycles of Japan, has been working on their version of this new technology with the introduction of the "Crosscage." Having a range of around 160 miles and costing about 8.000 Euros. Alex Bell and Andres Pacheco students at Swarthmore College-Pennsylvania have also developed a Buell Cyclone conversion into a smart fuel hydrogen motorcycle, operating with a 1.2 kW PEM system.
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/02/05/two-students-create-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered-motorcycle/
With the majority of this cell technology being invented and produced outside of the USA; hopefully this will avoid the corporate corruption that exists here, in this country. Oil companies who line the pockets of politicians might put-up as many road blocks as humanly possible in order to stop the mass importation and/or production of any vehicle that can run without paying for gasoline.
We need to keep a birds eye on anyone producing or importing this new technology into our country, if this takes off, we can do our share by purchasing this technology from our own, American workers.
http://www.threereviews.com/autos/CarGoH2O-Water-Fuel-Kit-Hydrogen-Fuel-Cell.html
