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What do you think? Will you be the fist one on the block to purchase a new technology Motorcycle or will you be dragged into it kicking and screaming?

The story about the UK company the has a prototype Hydrogen Fuel Cell motorcycle hit the news this week. See the article here in the Total Motorcycle New Model News forum.



This is the ENV or Emissions Neutral Vehicle the creation of Intelligent Energy, a British energy solutions company. The ENV bike is fully-functioning. The compact CORE fuel cell can be removed from the bike and is capable of powering anything from a motorboat to a small home.

The fuel cell is creates a electro-chemical reaction, producing water and electricity from hydrogen and oxygen. The water by-product can be evaporated, drained or even drunk, as it was, for example, by the astronauts of the Apollo missions. NASA were the first real users of fuel cell technology in the 1950s and 60s.

The ENV is not a speed demon with a top speed of 50 mph and a 0-50 time of 12.1 seconds but this is the first bike of it's kind.

ENV is lightweight, streamlined and aerodynamic. It is also virtually silent
(with noise emissions equivalent to an everyday home computer) and its emissions are almost completely clean.

So what do you think, give us your feedback. Can you see yourself riding something like this or are you going to stick with your gas powered bike as long as possible?

Want to learn more? Take a look at the Intelligent Energy Website

I love old fashioned petrol. I'd go the way of alternative when it is my last choice(by legal mandate), or the industry figures out how to do the same things the new way without taking the best of the old way.

I'm willing to try anything - and that does look kinda cool!

might wait until they make it a bit quicker, though....

My personal opinion (not wanting to be a hypocrit) is that we need to get away from fossil fuels. I'd certainly give hydrogen a try, but I would prefer a diesel running on bio-fuel. At least that technology is tried and true. It's also perfect for a motorcycle due to mainly fair weather riding without the geling concerns. Realistically though if they can't match the performance of todays motorcycles and cars it will be a sad day indeed if we are ever forced into it. I may no longer lust after the gear jamming 100+mph runs, but I damn sure don't want to take them away from anyone else. We shouldn't have to give up so much just because of the shortsightedness of our ancestors.

I'll take a full tank of good ol' petroleum distillates, if you please.

I guess it beats walking, though.

No way. Maybe if it looked more like a motorcycle and less like a rocking horse. Especially no way if it's going to sacrifice the lovely internal combustion "brum-brum-brum" that every good bike should have.
Just my opinion.

Only if it goes really fast and sounds really cool.

Right now it doesn't sound at all. They said it's about as loud as your home computer. Some people are suggesting they add an artificial engine sound to make it safer. I'm in the wait and see boat right now. It does need to be a little quicker and it would be hard to ride something without any kind of engine sound at all. If someone offered me a test ride, I would take it. It may not be fast, powerful or exciting today but Fords Model-T wasn't either.

Technology would never advance if people refused to consider new ideas. For that reason, I say kudos to the designers. However, the current prototype doesn't excite me at all. To make it a viable consideration for replacing the internal combustion engine, it will have to have a safe, plentiful fuel source (cold fusion, anyone?), perform at least as well as the bikes we're used to, and could not lose any of the riding experience we're accustomed to.

I wonder if anyone has considered building a hybrid motorcycle? That would be a 100 MPG machine!

keysman wrote: ...Some people are suggesting they add an artificial engine sound to make it safer.. .

I guess by that time I'll just put woofers under my favorite chair and watch the speed channel all day .