Fuel Cell Hybrid Motorcycle

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reikiman
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Fuel Cell Hybrid Motorcycle

This is a very important posting to record more prominently than a comment at the end of a long thread... Apparently Vectrix had several project ideas for hybrid electric versions of the Vectrix, one of which was a fuel cell version

http://visforvoltage.org/forum/6142-suspension-trading-what-does-it-mean#comment-38106

A serial hybrid design is very simple in concept - so simple that many people contemplate building them (been there done that). A serial hybrid is simply some kind of on-board electric generator connected so it charges the battery pack. Assuming the fuel to drive the generator has more power density than the battery pack it will give a range boost and depending on the fuel system it will let you stop at any gasoline station for a quick recharge.

Fuel cells are attractive because the only output is water. But they have a big problem - where to get the hydrogen? It's not like you can stop at any gas station to fill up because gas stations don't sell gas, they sell gasoline.

Anyway, interesting stuff. Too bad they're dying.

jmap
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Re: Fuel Cell Hybrid Motorcycle

If only they have continued this project...

MikeB
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Re: Fuel Cell Hybrid Motorcycle

Hydrogen fuel-cells are at least 30 years away from being practical. The fuel cell part works, but the hydrogen side is an abysmal failure. It takes a crapload of energy to create the hydrogen, storing and transporting hydrogen is very difficult, and it would take billions of dollars to create a hydrogen infrastructure that is 1/10th the size of our current gasoline station setup. At this point, I figure all that research into hydrogen was simply a scam, a way to get government research dollars without actually building a more efficient vehicle.

Methanol fuel cells are actually a far better choice, and it's about a million times more easy to store and transport methanol than hydrogen. You actually get more energy per liter from methanol than hydrogen, given current hydrogen storage methods.

However, given all of that, I think a series hybrid on a motorcycle is a bad plan. If you have enough batteries to get a reasonable range, then there's no space left for the fuel cell/generator & the fuel it will consume.

I'd much rather see the 'range extending trailer' design, where the motorcycle is pure-electric, but it has a companion trailer that carries the generator. That allows you to get the long range when you need it, but not haul around the extra weight when you don't.

My electric vehicle: CuMoCo C130 scooter.

reikiman
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Re: Fuel Cell Hybrid Motorcycle

I agree ... it takes 3x the electricity to generate hydrogen than the electricity to run the vehicle in the first place.

Further fuel cells aren't suitable for direct power to the controller.. fuel cells like to run at one level of power output, not at varying levels matching a throttle. So you need some batteries to act as a buffer to provide the varying power level required to match the throttle.

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