Sustainable mobility is a recurring theme for us. Whereas electrical autos dominate the current, we proceed exploring alternate options similar to inexperienced hydrogen. Lately, we featured a hydrogen bike recharging through photo voltaic panels. MIT college students have now launched a prototype bike shifting in an identical inexperienced path. Uncover their breakthrough and different rising alternate options.
MIT’s groundbreaking prototype
MIT’s Electrical Car Crew leads a mission to create a financially viable hydrogen bike, addressing a niche out there. Since January 2023, the workforce has centered on integrating a commercially out there hydrogen gas cell and electrical motor, subjecting the automobile to numerous assessments, first with a dynamometer much like a “treadmill” for bikes after which on a real-world monitor. As well as, they’ve been engaged on the set up of the hydrogen tank and the varied connectors. The following step might be to develop a customized electrical motor, which can give them way more flexibility.
Greater than only a bike, this prototype is a flexible improvement platform, permitting for swift part substitute and iterative testing. The workforce believes profitable hydrogen autos will spur the expansion of refueling infrastructure, selling widespread adoption.
Thus, they plan to make use of an open-source strategy, offering documentation for fellow business gamers and analysis groups keen on advancing hydrogen-powered transportation. To this point, they’ve offered their progress on the Hydrogen Americas Summit and hope to showcase a extra superior model on the World Hydrogen Summit.
How does a hydrogen bike work?
Usually, one of these automobile can equip both an inside combustion engine tailored for direct hydrogen injection or a hydrogen gas cell that converts chemical vitality into electrical vitality. Within the latter case, we’re not speaking about hydrogen engines, however electrical motors powered by gas cells.
With out going into technical particulars, hydrogen cells use electrodes to acquire protons and electrons from hydrogen. As well as, they’ve an electrolyte, i.e., a chemical answer, which separates the gases and permits the ions to maneuver. The result’s the era of electrical energy and the emission of warmth and water as a by-product of the response. For that reason, so long as green hydrogen is used, it’s thought of a clear and renewable vitality.
What different prototypes are there?
Among the many prototypes in improvement, Kawasaki showcased its hydrogen-powered mannequin on the 2022 Milan present. That includes a direct hydrogen injection system, and based mostly on its H2 SX road mannequin, it options two hydrogen tanks on the rear. In contrast to the MIT hydrogen bike, it’ll function with a direct hydrogen injection system as a substitute of a gas cell. The primary road assessments might be performed in 2024, however it isn’t anticipated to succeed in the market till 2030.
For now Kawasaki has not introduced the worth of this mannequin, however different corporations similar to Xiaomi or Segway are engaged on their very own hydrogen bikes that can go on sale for about 10 000 €. If you wish to know extra about this type of sustainable mobility and clear vitality applied sciences, subscribe to our publication under.
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