Don’t Want To Wait To Charge? How About Hydrogen Power?

[advrider]

I’m sure you’ve noticed that there’s a big push to move from internal combustion engine vehicles to electrically powered ones. There’s no escaping it; sometime in the future, the majority of vehicles plying our roads will use electric power.

And there’s been a lot of talk about how those electrically powered vehicles will work. For now, most electric vehicles have non-removable internal batteries to store the electricity that powers them. Virtually all major automobile manufacturers have electrically powered machines in the lineup, or they will in the near future.

Electric motorcycles too

The electric power push is not restricted to four-wheel vehicles. Motorcycle manufacturers are also dabbling in electric power. Full-sized motorcycle manufacturers like Zero Motorcycles, Energica, and LiveWire already have fixed battery bikes on the market. There are also many smaller “boutique” motorcycle manufacturers with shorter ranges and a more “urban” mission.

Waiter, there’s a fly in my electric moto soup.

For all of these vehicles, there are a couple of flies in the soup. Probably the most significant impediment to widespread electric vehicle adoption is “range anxiety.” Today’s battery technology generally offers less range than comparable internal combustion engine machines. While for some range is not that big an issue, the majority of people voice concern about potentially having to recharge before continuing to their planned destination, and depending on the trip’s length, more than one stop.

Bosch’s Hydrogen powered fuel cell system. Image: Bosch

I hate to wait…

And recharging time is the second fly precariously “swimming” in the electric vehicle soup. For vehicles with fixed batteries, when the vehicle’s charge gets low, there is no alternative but try to find a recharging station.  Once located, there’s the wait for the necessary powering electrons to flow from the charging station into the vehicle’s battery.

For the future, there is also the question of what happens once there’s widespread adoption of electric vehicles.  Currently, recharging times for a full “tank” take hours, not minutes. Even partial charges can take hours, especially if higher-level chargers are unavailable.

In addition, ask yourself how long would the wait be just to hook up to a charger during one of those three-day holiday weekends?  From there, you’ll still have to add in the actual recharging time. Yikes!

A different approach?

To their credit, it seems that vehicle manufacturers are at least aware of this issue.  It also appears that motorcycle manufacturers are leading the way in the charge (pun intended) to make charging easier and faster. With their lower power demands, motorcycles offer an opportunity to reduce recharging times by not recharging a battery, but by giving you an already charged one.

Certain motorcycle manufacturers have already joined to create consortiums to develop “swappable” motorcycle batteries.  First into the fray was the motorcycle manufacturer consortium, including KTM, Honda, Piaggio Group, and Yamaha.  The idea was to work together to define and develop a commonly developed swappable system.

Taking the idea even further, the Big 4 Japanese motorcycle manufacturers joined together to start thinking about developing the infrastructure to deliver swappable batteries.

Swappable batteries, not the only answer?

But is there an alternative to waiting to charge fixed batteries or lugging heavy, already charged batteries to your vehicle?  Bosch thinks so.

Bosch is heading full tilt at developing hydrogen fuel cell electric drive. If you are not familiar with fuel cell electric vehicles, they are similar yet different from current electrically powered vehicles.

The Bosch system anticipates that the vehicle is still electrically powered; it’s how that electricity is delivered that is different. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles use stored hydrogen not as the direct power source but as a means to provide electricity to the vehicle’s battery.

Ultimately, Bosch says that hydrogen fuel electric drive systems are more efficient, increase the range over “conventional” electrically powered vehicles, are more fun to drive (i.e., instant torque), and offer zero local emissions.

Fuel cell stations

At first blush, hydrogen fuel cells seem like a decent alternative to waiting to charge or lugging heavy, potentially dirty batteries. But then there’s that infrastructure thing. How will motorcyclists be able to fill their bikes?

Bosch says it has a plan (for Europe at least).  They are implementing a plan to have 4,000 hydrogen filling stations by 2030. Along the way, they say they will invest nearly 500 million Euros in bringing the stations online.  If they accomplish their goal, they will have built a third of the world’s total hydrogen refueling stations.

Motorcycle manufacturers interested?

Bosch isn’t alone in its interest in hydrogen fuel cells. Suzuki has been a proponent of fuel cell technology. Back in 2010, Suzuki showed its Crosscage concept bike at EICMA. They have also made several generations of Burgman scooters which at one point were in use by police in the UK. Honda developed a prototype scooter using a fuel cell system called the FC Stack even further back.

Environmental concerns and fuel prices driving change

In the past, hydrogen fuel cells may not have been a viable alternative to existing internal combustion technology.  Now, with more focus on environmental concerns and the high price of gasoline, hydrogen fuel cell power may be a potential solution for manufacturers. In addition, if range and refilling times are comparable to internal combustion vehicles, the future could be rosy for this “new” technology.

A possible hydrogen fuel cell future?

Although hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are yet to be widely adopted, motorcycle manufacturers are looking at alternative ways to power future vehicles. The ability to “fuel” your motorcycle as quickly and easily as internal combustion engine vehicles could give hydrogen a leg up.

Vezi sursa