| Author | Message | ||
     Electraglider_1997 |
I hope that HD/Buell is investigating fuel cell powered bikes. The internal combustion engine years are numbered. Look at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SORl_qcz5rw | ||
| Lorazepam |
I have a feeling I wont see a production fuel cell vehicle in my lifetime. Fuel is too cheap and plentiful to warrant mass production. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I'm thinking that they will be like hybrid cars. Back in 97' when the first Prius hit our shores there were only a few early adopters. Now they are everywhere. I've even got one and love it. If they get them where you can cruise at 70mph and the you can fill them up cheap as the video claims then I believe they will catch on fast. Of course there has to be places to fuel them. | ||
| Paulync |
I just got one thing to say about that http://www.thenewatlantis.com/archive/15/zubrin.ht m p | ||
| L_je |
If I recall from some back of a napkin calculations I once did, to get a 200 mile range with a 4.5 gal tank volume, you'd have to compress Hydrogen to something like 18,000-24,000 psi. Personally, I'd like to work out some details on a series-hybrid bike design that uses an electric motor, large battery capacity, and a gas turbine as the electrical power plant. Check out the Chevy Volt. I'd like to couple this design approach with a gas turbine electrical generator, as they are about 30% more efficient than your typical IC engine. But alas, with all of the complaints about the XB fans, I can only imagine the moaning that would arise from the whine of a gas turbine....and the heat, oh the heat! | ||
| Brad1445 |
no | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
L_je, did you say turbine? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTmgfF1zghg From someone who kinda likes the fan noise, this is what I need as my next bike! | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Your bike/car/truck/motorhome/bus makes and wastes some hydrogen all the time. Maybe one could collect and store it and inject it into the engine during hard acceleration. Just a thought. | ||
| Ihavemanyfleas |
why not add another toy? I'm in.... | ||
| Froggy |
L_je, General Motors had a prototype version of the EV1 back in the 90's that worked like that. Unfortunatly the costs and the fact that gas was under a dollar a gallon killed it. | ||
| L_je |
Cheap gas is more of a problem than a solution. But don't worry... Ever since Dick Cheney put me in charge of international oil prices, and US refining schedules, I've been working pretty hard at getting gas prices back to where they belong. You guys can thank me later... The ultimate "CommuterFighter"?... -Replace the underslung exhaust with a battery pack. -Replace the engine with an 80kW microturbine that drives an electric generator. -Plug your bike into 120VAC at night. -If your ride exceeds the battery's capacity, have no fear, as the microturbine is here! To charge the battery. -Also, the mircoturbine could help to augment (double?) peak power, but at the expense of running your battery dry if you stay at WOT for too long... For simplicity, power and weight, it's tough to beat an internal combustion engine, coupled with the remains of a hard-working society of dinosaurs from millions of years ago. I hate admitting this, as I love the more elegant thermodynamic power cycles, and such. Because motorcycles already have outrageous power/weight/mpg, they will be the last to benefit from some of the more interesting power generation schemes. Because weight and volume are so critical on a motorcycle, they are a really tough platform for hybrid, hydrogen, or fuel cell solutions. |
