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World's First Purpose-Built Fuel Cell Motorbike Makes North American Debut
The Auto Channel. ^ | 6-14-2005

Posted on 06/16/2005 6:36:26 AM PDT by kingattax

Environmentally Friendly, Whisper-Quiet Fuel Cell Motorbike Available to Consumers as Early as 2006

LOS ANGELES, June 14 -- Intelligent Energy, a British energy-solutions company that is relocating to Los Angeles, today unveiled the world's first purpose-built fuel cell motorbike, ENV (Emissions Neutral Vehicle), at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, Calif. This sleek-looking, hydrogen-powered motorbike is the first designed specifically with fuel cell technology in mind. The result is an innovative motorbike that emits only water vapors, making it an almost silent and completely nonpolluting vehicle.

ENV, pronounced "envy," was engineered and purpose-built from the ground up, utilizing Intelligent Energy's world-renowned CORE, a radically compact and efficient fuel cell, in order to demonstrate the everyday applicability of fuel cell technology. The CORE is detachable from the bike and is capable of powering anything from an ATV or a personal watercraft, to a small home.

"The ENV offers an exhilarating glimpse of the clean-and-green lifestyle that can be achieved through fuel cell technology," said Intelligent Energy CEO Harry Bradbury. "In the none-too-distant future, people will be able to use a bike like ENV to leave work in an urban environment, drive to the countryside, detach the CORE and attach it to another vehicle, such as a motorboat, before going on to power a log cabin with the very same fuel cell, which could then be recharged from a mini hydrogen creator the size of a shoebox."

The pre-production prototype ENV currently has a top speed of 50 mph and can be used for up to four hours before needing hydrogen "refueling." These performance figures are significantly better than those of the electric bikes currently available.

(Excerpt) Read more at theautochannel.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: fuelcell; hydrogen; motorbike; motorcycles
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1 posted on 06/16/2005 6:36:27 AM PDT by kingattax
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To: kingattax

No doubt they'll be some coming in from China soon at 1/4th the price and quality.


2 posted on 06/16/2005 6:39:46 AM PDT by Bringbackthedraft
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To: kingattax

Could have made it look any more like a whimpy tree-hugger's bike? Anyone riding this thing will look like Pauly Shore on a Vespa.


3 posted on 06/16/2005 6:40:11 AM PDT by mikeus_maximus
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To: kingattax

And it only costs $10,000. Just kidding! I wonder what the real cost would be?


4 posted on 06/16/2005 6:40:56 AM PDT by Piquaboy (22 year veteran of the Army, Air Force and Navy, Pray for all our military .)
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To: kingattax
The pre-production prototype ENV currently has a top speed of 50 mph and can be used for up to four hours before needing hydrogen "refueling." These performance figures are significantly better than those of the electric bikes currently available.

** Yawn **, top speed of 50 MPH, four hours max. Let's do the math, 50 MPH X 4 hours is 200 Miles max. ** Yawn ***

How much is the cost of a mile under the Hydrogen Bike vs Electric Bike vs Gas Bike?

** Yawn **

5 posted on 06/16/2005 6:41:17 AM PDT by sr4402
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To: Piquaboy

They cost $6,000 each.


6 posted on 06/16/2005 6:44:30 AM PDT by travlnmn41
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To: kingattax

This is nothing but a souped up Moped.

My apologies to the Moped people.


7 posted on 06/16/2005 6:47:32 AM PDT by Preachin' (Georgia finally saw the light in 2000.)
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To: travlnmn41

Gee! At that price they will go like hotcakes.


8 posted on 06/16/2005 6:49:05 AM PDT by Piquaboy (22 year veteran of the Army, Air Force and Navy, Pray for all our military .)
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To: mikeus_maximus

I agree. To me it looks like a wimpy anorexic low-speed version of that BMW thumper, the F650 or whatever it's called.

LQ


9 posted on 06/16/2005 6:54:45 AM PDT by LizardQueen (The world is not out to get you, except in the sense that the world is out to get everyone.)
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To: Piquaboy
"Gee! At that price they will go like hotcakes." NOT!
10 posted on 06/16/2005 6:55:50 AM PDT by harpu
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To: kingattax
Oh wow! Oh wow oh golly gee! A spindly looking "motorbike" with a top speed of 50 miles per hour, a 200 mile range, "whisper quiet" and a price tag of $6,000.00.
Oh yeah that thing will sell. NOT!
Chinese 250cc bikes costing less than $2,000 will run over 75mph.
200 Mile range ain't bad, but I doubt that any of my friends with the Iron Butt Association will be interested.
Whisper quiet will lose all of the "Loud Pipes save Lives" crowd.
Add a couple of hundred bucks to the $6000 price tag and you could have a new Harley Sportster or for a few hundred less several Japanese bikes, any of which will last many years and at least 100,000 miles.
But wait!
From the photo I really don't think that thing is DOT legal. But that should not bother the fiolks that bought all those millions of electric cars afew years back. Oh wait, they didn't buy all those electric cars. Nobody did. p>
11 posted on 06/16/2005 6:56:18 AM PDT by Bar-Face
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To: sr4402

At least it's a start. The venerable internal combustion engine will eventually go the way of the horse & buggy. As long as this sort of thing comes up through the free market system it'll eventually turn in to something useful. I personally think the "transferrable power plant" idea has some merit. I wouldn't mind paying less for owning a lawn mower, quad, motorcycle, backup generator, snow blower and outboard motor boat because they can share a power source. Just keep the government weenies out of the loop.


12 posted on 06/16/2005 6:58:44 AM PDT by jdsteel (We need 2 new refineries, 20 new nuclear power plants and ANWAR ASAP)
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To: Preachin'

Don't mess with the moped people!

www.hellssatans.net


13 posted on 06/16/2005 6:59:52 AM PDT by BillyBonebrake
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To: jdsteel

Here's a prediction: No one alive today will live long enough to see the death of the internal combustion engine.

This thing is a science project and a toy.


14 posted on 06/16/2005 7:05:27 AM PDT by Jack of all Trades
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To: kingattax
...purpose-built fuel cell...

As opposed to those that are built by accident?

15 posted on 06/16/2005 7:10:57 AM PDT by GingisK
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To: Jack of all Trades
Here's a prediction: No one alive today will live long enough to see the death of the internal combustion engine.

I heard the same thing.

At a DoE contracters' meeting!!!!

16 posted on 06/16/2005 7:13:12 AM PDT by Gorzaloon
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To: Gorzaloon

great minds work alike. ;^)


17 posted on 06/16/2005 7:19:08 AM PDT by Jack of all Trades
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To: Jack of all Trades
>No one alive today will live long enough to see the death of the internal combustion engine


Well, I remember
"Apple II Forever" signs . . .
And record players . . .

18 posted on 06/16/2005 7:21:52 AM PDT by theFIRMbss
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To: Preachin'

It's too fast for a liquorcycle.


19 posted on 06/16/2005 7:22:40 AM PDT by AppyPappy
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To: theFIRMbss

I notice quite a few personal computers in use in the world today though.

In the fifties people thought the flathead was the bomb.


20 posted on 06/16/2005 7:27:00 AM PDT by Jack of all Trades
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