Fuel cell bike pedals into the future © 2000 MSNBC
June 23, 2000
By Miguel Llanos
June 23 — Fuel cells have powered NASA space missions for decades, and there are plans to use them in cars in the next few years. A New York company wants to take the idea to yet another level: the bicycle.
DUBBED THE “HYDROCYCLE,” the modified mountain bike has pedals but it can also be used like a scooter, with fuel cells providing power to a motor that turns the rear wheel.
Testing earlier this month in Germany, where some of the technology is being developed, suggests it has a top mileage range of 70 miles along a flat surface. The top speed is around 20 mph.
The fuel cells use hydrogen and air to create electricity, which means the only emission is water vapor. The lack of pollutants is why fuel cells excite environmentalists and government officials, who are under pressure to reduce manmade emissions believed to be contributing to global warming. These “greenhouse” gases include carbon dioxide, a major source of which is gasoline and diesel engines.
And because fuel cells have no moving parts, the motor makes no noise.
“It’s wonderfully quiet and gives off no emissions other than a small amount of water vapor,” Jack Harrod, chief operating officer of Manhattan Scientifics, said in a statement announcing the first test rides.
“It is a real experience to ride through a forest and only hear the sound of the tires on the dirt road,” Harrod added. Sure a bike can do that too, he acknowledged, but not without sweaty effort by the rider.
Harrod himself rode the bike, saying it even managed to carry his 240 pounds up a hill with an 8 percent slope.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Harrod emphasizes that Manhattan Scientifics is not in the bicycle business, and that its prototype “is intended to excite manufacturers” about the possibilities.
He believes it’s feasible that by the middle of next year it will be possible to market a fuel-cell bicycle for less than $1,500, and hopefully for less than $1,000 some day.
A fuel-cell bike would be competing with electric bikes already on sale, but Harrod argues that fuel cells have a tremendous advantage. Electric bikes can only be ridden a few hours before needing a recharge, which can take several hours,” he notes. Fuel cells, on the other hand, have a much longer range and are refueled simply by adding more hydrogen.
But that refueling process is a major obstacle since there’s no infrastructure for hydrogen stations. “It’s a problem that has to be dealt with,” Harrod acknowledges.
Then there’s consumer hesitation about hydrogen, given its association with the Hindenburg disaster. Harrod, after citing a NASA scientist’s recent investigation that found hydrogen was not to blame for the dirigible’s crash, feels hydrogen storage can be engineered the same way car gasoline tanks are to minimize risks.
ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY
While NASA and the auto industry design fuel cells that fit in space ships and cars, Manhattan Scientifics’ challenge was to make fuel cells small enough and light enough for a bike.
The company says it accomplished that by using lightweight materials and sealing technology that replaces gaskets, bolts and screws — research it is now seeking patent protection for. The result is a fuel cell “stack” that weighs around 2 pounds.
Fuel cells use hydrogen and air to createate electricity, with the cells stacked on top of each other to create additional power. The Manhattan Scientifics fuel cells use what are called “proton exchange membranes” to create stacks.
Essentially, fuel cells are like batteries in that they conduct electricity. Their engineering beauty is that they can be refueled quickly, instead of having to be recharged like batteries.
When pure hydrogen is used, a fuel cell is entirely pollution free. Using methanol or even gasoline to get hydrogen would not be as clean, but would still be a big improvement over internal combustion engines.
OTHER APPLICATIONS
As for the Hydrocycle, the company says it has started talks with industry leaders in the powered bicycle and scooter markets.
It also hopes to use its small fuel cells for other portable equipment like laptops, golf carts, wheelchairs, cordless power tools and even kitchen appliances.
Even smaller fuel cells could power cell phones in the near future, providing standby power for six months and talk time of one week. High-end cell phones today use lithium ion batteries, which typically have two weeks of standby power and five hours of talk time before they need recharging.
ASIAN MARKET SOUGHT
The company believes its Hydrocycle would sell well in noisy, polluted cities, particularly in Asia, where millions already use bicycles or motorcycles to get around.
“We believe the Hydrocycle could make an enormous difference in the quality of life of the people in those cities,” Harrod said.
Marvin Maslow, chief executive officer at Manhattan Scientifics, notes that more than 400 million bicycles are in use in China, India and Japan. By 2020, he adds, citing the Japan Cycle Press, it’s estimated that 1 billion electric bikes will be on the roads, mostly in Asia.
“In Asian countries such as India, massive amounts of goods are transported every day by scooters driven by heavily polluting two-cycle engines,” he said in unveiling the Hydrocycle. “These societies are literally choking on gas and diesel fumes.”
These indicators, he adds, “clearly suggest the potential for a low cost, environmentally clean, fuel cell-powered bicycle.”