Suzuki Burgman Gets A Hydrogen Powerplant (Again)

[advrider]

Forget EICMA, forget Intermot. For years, I’ve said the most interesting developments in the motorcycle world come out of the Asian motorycle shows, especially the ones in Japan. And once again, that’s true—Suzuki says it is going to show off a new hydrogen-powered Burgman scooter at the Japan Mobility Conference this fall.

An alternate alternative energy

Over the past decade, there has been much ballyhoo about EVs in general, and that has trickled down to motorcycling, where all the major OEMs are working on battery bikes that will meet new emissions regulations. First, it was independent operations like Zero and Energica (the two most successful battery bike startups so far). Then companies like Harley-Davidson got involved (with the LiveWire line). The latest big-news intro was Kawasaki’s e-1 series.

But all those electric motorcycles come with the restrictions of current battery technology. With that in mind, OEMs have also started exploring other alternative energy sources, including hydrogen power. Kawasaki showed off such a bike at EICMA last year. More recently, BMW’s leadership indicated an interest in hydrogen power, saying it was dangerous to rely solely on electricity for energy. The Big Four also recently announced they would cooperate with Toyota to explore hydrogen energy.

Bringing back the Burgman

As far as Suzuki goes, the idea of a hydrogen-powered Burgman is nothing new. The roots of this project go back to the early 2000s, with various patents and prototypes popping up every few months to show progress. Suzuki actually ran a pilot project testing such an idea with the UK’s Metropolitan Police. But after that project ended about five years back, we heard very little about it.

Now, it seems they are dusting off the idea, and will be using an internal combustion engine, not a hydrogen fuel cell.

Infrastructure complications

Right away, most riders will see some issues with this idea. Although charging infrastructure for EVs is weak in many areas, refuelling stations for hydrogen-powered vehicles are practically non-existent. Suzuki’s plan would likely make sense for a delivery fleet that can be refueled at some central depot, similar to the Metropolitan Police garage arrangement. But for now, it’s not going to be as easy as just popping down to your local service station, or even your local EV quick charger.

But those complications can be overcome, and even as our leaders hustle us away from gasoline, we need to find new ways to power our vehicles, or we will be left walking once petrol power is illegal or (more likely) prohibitively expensive for many. Battery bikes may work in some situations, but in others, perhaps hydrogen power can help.

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