Fuel Cell Technology in Motorcycles?

[mikem]

Someone mentioned Fuel Cell dragsters in the "Loud Pipes" thread and it made me curious. Are silent, non-polluting motorcycles a possibility? I found this site which has a lot of info about Fuel Cell technology. This technology sounds very interesting and revolutionary. According to the site, there is already an SUV automobile in production with a Fuel Cell. Can someone with a technical or engineering background, or someone with knowledge of this technology read the news releases and technical articles on this site and let us know what the possibilities are for motorcycles.

What is the possibility of having an engine small enough. What is the power output like - Can we roost on one? etc. What are the positives and negatives? etc.

http://www.utcfuelcells.com/news/papers.shtml

Good riding all!

MikeM

[Scott_F]

Mike, I have designed and built the world's first electric motocross bike. It was featured in a two page article in Cycle News in July 2001. There is a lot of potential in electric motorcycles, and if fuel cells ever become small enough, powerful enough, available enough and affordable, they will be the missing bit of technology to make high performance EV's feasible.

And yes, it does roost. I have cleared a 50' tabletop on it. The only negatives of EV's are battery weight and range. The fuel cell solves the weight problem, the range is improved, and it can be "recharged" with hydrogen rather than electrons.

[mikem]

Scott:

Thanks for the info. Is the article on the web? Can you send link or post a copy of the article here?

Sounds like fuel cells are getting smaller and lighter. How far off do you think we are (time wise) to have the technology in a usable format for motorcyles?

Do you have a picture of your electric bike?

MikeM

[armourbl]

Oh please post the article URL. I'd love to read out this.

ben

[mikem]

Found this regarding a cool looking mountain bike/motocross bike hybrid. Click on website to see photos:

www.electric-bikes.com/motorcys.htm

Sounds like fuel cell technology will Help the power/speed issues.

Denali Pro

The Denali Pro is a new kind of bike that is designed for aggressive recreational riding by skilled cyclists. It's like a fully suspended BMX bike for big kids, but much faster and you don't have to pedal to experience the thrills. It's somewhere between moto-cross and mountain biking. It has the torque and hill climbing power of a medium sized dirt bike (175cc) but runs silent, like a bicycle. A good rider can get about 5 feet of air and land elegantly due to the expert level downhill racing suspension componentry.

SPECIFICATIONS Denali Pro

Frame: 4130 chrome-moly steel heli-arc welded

Suspension-Rear: 8" (200mm) travel - sine rate link - FOX Vanilla RC tuneable

Suspension-Front: 7" (175mm) travel Marzocchi Monster-T tuneable

Brakes: Hayes full hydraulic-8" discs front & rear

Motor: Permanent magnet-1kW continuous rating

Top Speed: 33 mph on level ground as geared

Peak Power: 10 kW peak intermittent power

Recharge Time: 20 mins. with Megacharger - 45 mins. with standard

Curb Weight: 112 pounds

Run Time: 15 minutes to 2 hours based on usage

Battery: Hawker Genesis - High energy density - 600 Wh capacity

The Denali TorkAtak is the world's first production electric trials bike. It weighs 142 pounds (charged). It can perform and climb obstacles with power levels similar to a 250cc two-stroke, but it has none of the usage limitations. The TorkAtak will perform fairly rigorous trials manuvers for 20 to 45 minutes on a charge. The supplied charger will restore a charge in about 45 minutes. A generator can power the charger for remote use. Some generators can recharge the bike directly, with no charger needed. With a 2 kW generator, charge times can be reduced to as little as 10 minutes, with no battery damage.

Denali HSR: $3,900

Moto Pro: $5,200

TorkAtak: $5,800

Denali Cycles, 3165 East Main St., Ashland, Oregon 97520

541-488-8226, http://www.denalicycles.com

[mikem]

Found a 152 mph electric drag bike at the following site:http://www.killacycle.com/

Also, several sites that were interesting by going to Hotbot and searching "electric motorcycles"