World's First Fuel-Cell Motorcycle

Alex writes "Rubber Magazine reports that the British company Intelligent Energy has unveiled today the first purpose-built, fuel-cell motorbike. The bike has a 6kW (8 hp) electric motor, top speed of 50 mph (80kph), a range of 100 miles (160km). The engine is completely silent, which might not go well with many motorcycle lovers. In addition it could also possibly pose an interesting safety issue, since a pedestrian or motorist would not hear it coming."

Now all it needs...

[gardyloo]

... is a sidecar with a tactical nuke in it.

Re:Cool

[craXORjack]

In addition it could also possibly pose an interesting safety issue, since a pedestrian or motorist would not hear it coming.

It's not a problem really. Just tape a playing card to it so it flaps against the spokes. Worked for me when I was a kid. Between that and the banana seat, I was too cool for school.

Fark had this yesterday

[gelfling]

Don't you people coordinate paid placements?

Motorcycle as reviewed by an Interior Designer

[cranos]

Okay I read the review, and I couldn't help but feel the guy writing the review is either a budding art critic, or an interior decorator.

Also I wonder how many people go to rubbermagazine.com and are a little disappointed when they get there.

Re:Meh

[bani]

leave it to /. readers to complain about something being too fuel efficient...

I need one

[canofbutter]

I commute in ~20 miles from a rural community and gas prices are rising excessively and the oil supply in general will be/is running low. This is therefore the perfect mode of transportation for North Dakota in the winter...

refills?

[dmf415]

Now all we need to buy is our own hydrogen gas station to refill the tank, hmm?

Drive By?

[Crystalmonkey]

The engine is completely silent, which might not go well with many motorcycle lovers. This sure would make a drive-by easy though. I hate it when they run...

Damn silent pedestrians

[wsanders]

And those damn pedestrians - totally silent!

You'll hear me coming - I'm the one yelling "HEY ASS****!" at the car trying to hit me.

Anybody else scared of...

[KhaZ]

...harnessing the raw power of the sun between your legs?

Eep.

(From the article: "a bike ...could then be re-charged from a mini hydrogen creator, the size of a shoebox.")

(Granted, not fusion, but still. Hinden-nads... Eep!)

Aritfical Noise?

[machinegunhand]

The real problem here is that pedistrians are silent. I hate it when they sneak up on my car and jump out in front of me. If my ride is required to have lights and be noisy, then let's be fair. Why are foot travelers the only ones allowed to move about in stealth mode? Make the carless/bikeless among us wear noise making devices that indicate velocity (and maybe backup beepers too for reverse mode). I think this should apply to pets too.

Am I the only one

[0x20]

...who read the article and saw this: The CORE.. is a radically compact and efficient fuel cell, capable of powering anything from a motorboat to a small domestic property and thought, "Why would I want to drive a house around?"

Re:Its the weight that concerns me.

[Kiryat Malachi]

I don't know. In Chicago, a top speed of 25 seems to be about all you'd need on the highways most days.

Chick magnet

[hey!]

It says rebel -- with a social conscience.

Just the thing for picking up vegan babes at the PETA rally.

Ninjas are sweet! They flip ou and just not care

[TiggertheMad]

In addition it could also possibly pose an interesting safety issue, since a pedestrian or motorist would not hear it coming.

Yes, but the bike will be a huge smash hit with NINJAS!

'My name is robert, and Ninjas are soooo sweet.'

Re:loud pipes save lives

[Jicksta]

So let's just throw this fuel cell technology out the window.

We've developed the technology to power engines on hydrogen, an element easily extractable from the most abundant substance on our planet, water, but the fact that these very engines are silent poses a safety issue!

Oh well, we're just consumers. Who says we even have the right to spend less by not buying gasoline or even consider helping our planet by not polluting the air? The very thought!

Re:Posted 4 minutes after the other similiar comme

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes.

Re:Its the weight that concerns me.

[harkabeeparolyn]

Yeah, but if you're ever in a highway accident on that Vespa, there won't be enough left of you to put in a taco. I appreciate you Messianic early adopters; I'm sure we'll all be riding around in or on energy efficient vehicles when oil prices get high enough. But until that day comes we will continue to make hamburger out of you on our highways.

For those of us...

[Dan East]

whose bikes travel faster than 761 mph, not being heard by people we are overtaking is already a big problem.

Dan East