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MIT builds an open-source hydrogen electric motorcycle that runs on fuel cell
(www.designboom.com)
this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2024
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micromobility - Ebikes, scooters, longboards: Whatever floats your goat, this is micromobility
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For longer range motorcycling, this is probably the way rather than trying to haul around a sufficiently capacious battery bank.
What remains to be seen is if anyone manages to produce a non-stupid way of producing enough hydrogen, and packaging and distributing the result in such a way that anyone in a position to take advantage of it can actually buy it. (The current methodology for bulk hydrogen production is still fossil fuel based, as far as I know.)
They don’t mention the range. It seems like it would be hard to beat current battery energy density on a motorcycle with hydrogen.
You don't really have to beat battery energy density to be better for longer range riding, you just have to have a minimum acceptable range and the ability to quickly refuel. For example having to stop every 100km for five minutes is likely going to be more acceptable to the majority than stopping every 200km for an hour.
Of course the real trick is to both figure out how far the minimum distance is for most people and - most importantly - making refuelling widely enough available that people can work on the assumption of just pulling in and filling up.
If we have to refuel more often, or if we have to recharge longer, we're still gonna need better rest areas on freeways in both scenarios.
It would also allow to do a small afternoon tour, e.g. jumping on the bike and going 200-300 km through nature just to chill, and then back home. Right now this means a 1 min break at a petrol station, as commonly after 200-250 km you have to refill.
With battery bikes and data sheet ranges of 'up to' 180 km, with 70 kg passenger at constant 45 km/h, you probably get to 20% charge after 80 km already to recharge to 80% within an hour. So after an hour waiting you just get enough to barely make it back home.
As you say, with hydrogen it would allow for shorter breaks, enabling to do a small afternoon tour at all. And I'm not that stingy about a 1min or 5min break to refill.