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Science Technology

World's First Fuel-Cell Motorcycle 481

Posted by CmdrTaco from the still-no-fuel-cell-laptop dept.
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."
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World's First Fuel-Cell Motorcycle More

World's First Fuel-Cell Motorcycle

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  • Cool (Score:5, Insightful)

    by BWJones ( 18351 ) * on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:00PM (#11970784) Homepage Journal
    In addition it could also possibly pose an interesting safety issue, since a pedestrian or motorist would not hear it coming.

    We bicyclists have the same problem, but if one obeys the rules of the road, there should be no problem. The problem bicyclists (and many motorcyclists) have is with people in their automobiles who fail to properly look out and are too busy talking on the damned cell phone while driving their gas sucking SUVs. (Disclaimer: I own a Toyota 4runner, but bicycle back and forth to work every day, and run many of my errands on the bicycle) My recent experience with a near miss can be read here [utah.edu].

    The engine is completely silent, which might not go well with many motorcycle lovers.

    I have to admit that when I did ride motorcycles, there was a certain magic about either the banshee wail of a sport bike as you wound it up while screaming up a canyon road or even the relaxed "POTATO POTATO POTATO" of the Harleys. However that said, this is going to be the future of transportation and I would most certainly embrace fuel cell technology that reduces the worlds outrageous consumption of oil. Plus, this ENV bike is a pretty sweet looking ride.

    • Re:Cool (Score:5, Funny)

      by craXORjack ( 726120 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:06PM (#11970834)
      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.

    • Its the weight that concerns me. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Stone316 ( 629009 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:18PM (#11970953) Journal
      At 80kg, your not going to want to ride this on a windy day or the highway, even if they do increase the top speed.

      Even on my bike 500lbs I get tossed around alot on windy days... I wouldn't want to be on this bike if an 18 wheeler passed me on the highway.

    • While I agree that car drivers need to pay more attention to cyclists (I do cycle every so often), I also think that this is a two way street. I've seen cyclists cause as many near misses as I've seen drivers cause. For example, the other day, I cyclist decided that he wanted to undertake me (he after all had a couple of feet to cycle up the inside of the street), but in slow moving traffic, and me wanting to turn left (note I'm in the UK) this added up to him ending up in a very dangerous position - I ha

    • The problem bicyclists (and many motorcyclists) have is with people in their automobiles who fail to properly look out

      It's also worth realising that part of the problem is that cyclists are fundamentally harder to see and even while looking for you drivers still have to keep en eye on what's happening in front of them etc.

      I don't drive a bike but my car is fairly low and I know there's a good chance that someone in a 4WD (SUV) stands a good chance of not seeing me if I'm just behind them or even directly

    • Inline skates can be dangerous like that too; to a driver waiting to pull out from a side street, you just look like someone standing in the road... they don't 'see' that you are actually moving toward them.

      So they pull out and hilarity ensues (as long as you have decent gear on).
    • though, with cars when you're going fast enough the tire noise is bigger than what the engine makes.

      consumption of oil only gets reduced too if you're not making the hydrogen from oil ;) (which I believe is currently the cheapest way).

      the 'no sound' issue is pretty stupid to worry about(making noise is easy).

    • Re:Cool (Score:5, Insightful)

      by soft_guy ( 534437 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @08:28PM (#11971514)
      Sure, people like the loud sound of some motorcycles. But I can also imagine growing to love the Zen of riding a silent bike through on a scenic trip. No loud sounds - just the wind and the sounds of nature. I think that would be cool.

  • Now all it needs... (Score:5, Funny)

    by gardyloo ( 512791 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:00PM (#11970788)
    ... is a sidecar with a tactical nuke in it.
    • Wouldn't that be a hydrogen bomb? That's way too powerful to be considered a "tactical" weapon.
      • i don't think a motorcycle would make a good bomber, unless it could go fast enough to escape the blast radius in the time it takes for the bomb to fall a couple of inches to the ground.
      • If I recall, it was an H-bomb, but one designed to take out a carrier battle group, in which case it would be tactical, correct?

        If you think "H-bomb" automatically means "tactical", all I can say is you just aren't creative enough! Or perhaps "destructive" is the word I'm looking for.

  • Motorcycles are already pretty damn fuel efficient as is.

    • Re:Meh (Score:5, Funny)

      by bani ( 467531 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:07PM (#11970849)
      leave it to /. readers to complain about something being too fuel efficient...

    • Re:Meh (Score:3, Informative)

      by agm ( 467017 ) *
      Depends on the bike. Neither of mine are particularly fuel efficient. My VL1500 gets about 170km to 13 liters, and my DR-Z400 gets about 100km to 11 litres.

    • Re:Meh (Score:2, Insightful)

      by ergo98 ( 9391 )
      Actually most motorbikes get terrible fuel efficiency compared to what people probably imagine.
    • You know what else is fuel efficient (and cheap and very convenient and fun)? Go-peds, [goped.com] those engine-powered scooters. I had one and it got upwards of 100 miles per gallon, and it could do 33mph which is nothing to sneeze at. If the efficiency of these fuel-cell bikes grabs your attention, go grab yourself a go-ped or a minibike on eBay for less than $200. Get one before your state [ebay.com] bans them. [nytimes.com]

    • says who ? (Score:3, Informative)

      by C0vardeAn0nim0 ( 232451 )
      my 125cc honda XLR (check http://www.honda.com.br/ [honda.com.br] is a retired bike but they have a similar replacement) make 210km on 7 liters of gasoline, 30 km/l it weighs 110 kg (dry). with me + oil and fuel is about 185 kg. 30 km/l with a 12.5 hp engine at constant 80 km/h moving 180 kg, take note.

      my statio wagon is a 1200 kg volkswagen parati with a 1800cc engine produces 90 hp and at 80 km/h it does... 12 km/l.

      an engine 14 times bigger only needs twice the fuel to move a car 7 times the weight of the motorcicle.

  • moto myths (Score:5, Informative)

    by tedtimmons ( 97599 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:01PM (#11970793) Homepage

    Myths:
    • Not all motorcycles are made by Harley.
    • Not all motorcycles are cruisers or sportbikes.
    • Not all motorcyclists like loud pipes.
    -ted, motorcycling geek
    • I remember as a kid strapping a bit of cardboard to the forks so that is hit against the spokes making a "motorbike" noise. Can be done here if need be.

      However, a lot of small commuter bikes are pretty quiet - quiet enough that they serve no pedestrian warning purpose - so I don't really see an issue here.

    • girls love bad boys.

      bad boys ride Harleys.

      • Now, do I really need to draw you a map?

    • Re:moto myths (Score:5, Interesting)

      by multiplexo ( 27356 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:32PM (#11971076) Journal
      Another Myth:

      Having a loud bike will protect you because motorists will be able to hear you.

      I hate to bum the high of all of the Harley riders out there but I've met quite a few guys who have been in serious motorcycle accidents (i.e., they ended up having a leg cut off) and quite a few of them had big, noisy cruiser style bikes. The Hurt report (yes, that's what it is called) didn't find any correlation between how much noise a motorcycle makes and its likelihood of being involved in an accident with another vehicle.

      Jamie - former motorcylist, current amputee

    • Re:moto myths (Score:5, Interesting)

      by anagama ( 611277 ) <obamaisaneocon@nothingchanged.org> on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:46PM (#11971180) Homepage

      Yeah! You speak the truth my friend. If I had mod points, you'd get them. I'm partial to older bikes, especially 80's standard Japanese bikes, and older BMWs. The bearded tatooed Harley thugs/wannabethugs and the tshirt/shorts/flipflops crotch-rocket-cool-dudes all look down on these, but I love them. Power aplenty, nice handling, and comfortable riding positions. I once took an early 80s Nighthawk 650 on a 1500 mile trip. It was a blast.

      As an aside, I learned how to adjust my valves this weekend (1978 BMW R80/7), and after a spline lube this coming weekend, I'll know most of the basic maintenance for this machine. I'm a wannabe motorcycle geek right now - hope to be halfway competent in a couple years - but looking forward to some extended motorcycle camping this summer.
    • Reposting your good post with my bonus...

      by tedtimmons (97599) Alter Relationship on 07:01 PM March 17th, 2005 (#11970793)

      (http://perljam.net/?ref=slashdot [perljam.net])

      Myths:

      * Not all motorcycles are made by Harley.
      * Not all motorcycles are cruisers or sportbikes.
      * Not all motorcyclists like loud pipes.

      -ted, motorcycling geek

  • motorcycle lovers (Score:5, Insightful)

    by whizzard ( 177251 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:01PM (#11970794) Homepage

    The engine is completely silent, which might not go well with many motorcycle lovers.

    Somehow, I think that the top speed of 50 mph might not be that popular either.
  • Just mount an ordinary playing card to hit the wheel's spokes. It makes a nice "motor" sound.
  • In addition it could also possibly pose an interesting safety issue, since a pedestrian or motorist would not hear it coming.

    Haven't these guys ever heard of the cardboard in the spokes trick?

  • silence in cars too (Score:5, Interesting)

    by drmike0099 ( 625308 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:04PM (#11970822)
    The silence issue also exists for the electric cars. At low speeds or coasting they run pretty much silent and, since they're a lot larger, could pose as much of a threat. If you've ever run through LA and almost been hit by one popping out of a blind alley (cuz nobody stops at the end of alleys here) that you weren't able to hear while approaching, you know what I'm talking about...

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

    Easy. Put baseball cards between the spokes. Problem solved.

  • Fark had this yesterday (Score:3, Funny)

    by gelfling ( 6534 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:07PM (#11970846) Homepage Journal
    Don't you people coordinate paid placements?

  • Motorcycle as reviewed by an Interior Designer (Score:3, Funny)

    by cranos ( 592602 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:07PM (#11970847) Homepage Journal
    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.

  • I need one (Score:3, Funny)

    by canofbutter ( 843238 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:08PM (#11970852)
    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...

  • lightweight (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Doc Ruby ( 173196 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:08PM (#11970859) Homepage Journal
    The real problem with the bike's safety is its tiny weight: about the weight of the rider (80Kg/176lbs). Even a 300lb bike gets blown around by wind on, say, the SF Bay Bridge, has trouble hugging curves in mountain roads, and needs more acceleration to stay at speed despite drag. The other big momentum problem is that when a car hits you, you'll split the absorbed momentum equally with the ENV - while a heavier bike will absorb more momentum. As cars get heavier (SUVs etc), these collisions are really terrible mismatches for a bike, especially one which can't jet out of the way at higher speeds, due to limited top speed (50MPH).

    The ENV is really a big, quiet H2 scooter. The difference is really just in the marketing, but that creates the mindset in the rider. Ride it like a Harley, get squashed like a bug. Ride it like a Razor, and rule the road.
    • Given the enormous suspension travel, this thing is clearly designed to be a dirtbike, or a supermotard [aol.com]. You can already buy electric motorcross bikes [electricmoto.com], so this is a pretty linear extension of the concept - the key enabling factor with electric dirtbikes is that shorter ranges aren't really a problem.

      For dirtbike riding, rather than a help, weight is a huge impediment. It makes the bike less responsive to rider input, harder landing when you jump, and more dangerous when you fall off (which you do a lot m

    • huh? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by MarcoAtWork ( 28889 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:27PM (#11971035)
      although I mostly agree with the wind issue (I've experienced that a few times myself) I am not quite sure I understand the rest of your observations and I'd like to qualify the wind issue a bit more anyways.

      The wind is a problem if you happen to sit fairly high up on a motorbike with a big side profile (aka most 'high performance' road bikes). Even if said bike weighed a lot you'd probably still be moved around quite a bit as you go fast. The wind is a lot less of an issue on choppers since you're sitting way lower and they have way smaller side profiles.

      = has trouble hugging curves in mountain roads

      huh? What does weight have to do with anything when talking about cornering? You don't see MotoGP riders strapping anvils to their bikes to corner better, do you?

      = needs more acceleration to stay at speed despite drag.

      this doesn't make any sense: AFAIK the drag is proportional to the bike's frontal area, not to its weight.

      = while a heavier bike will absorb more momentum.

      if you collide with a car and you're on a motorbike you're going to be thrown off it whether or not the motorbike weighs 200lb or 500lb: most/all cars outweigh you by an order of magnitude anyways, and let's not even talk about SUVs.

      = these collisions are really terrible mismatches for a bike, especially one which can't jet out of the way at higher speeds

      most of the bike-car collisions I've seen/heard about couldn't be avoided by being able to accelerate or go faster: if that was the case there would be no accidents involving high performance road bikes, right?

      Personally I think this bike is perfect for European city commuting (since it's near silent and non-polluting odds are you'll be able to drive it in the city centres that are currently off-limits to mopeds and motorbikes) but won't really do much here in North America, although you might see the odd one around (like I've seen a S.M.A.R.T. car the other day, the likes of which you see way more often in Europe).

      The 80kph speed limit is about perfect as well, as traffic usually moves around at 50-70kph in town: my old moped was capable of hitting 60-65kph (on a good day, with some tailwind) and having an extra 20kph would be way more than enough for those times where traffic is moving faster than usual.

  • refills? (Score:3, Funny)

    by dmf415 ( 218827 ) * on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:10PM (#11970872)
    Now all we need to buy is our own hydrogen gas station to refill the tank, hmm?
  • Given that oil prices are going through the ceiling again. We must be close to the break even point for alternative fuels at this stage.

  • Drive By? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Crystalmonkey ( 743087 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:11PM (#11970887)
    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...

  • Core = power solution (Score:5, Insightful)

    by BrookHarty ( 9119 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:11PM (#11970890) Journal
    They are using the bike as an example of what a CORE power system is, think if it as a big battery, you can take the battery out of your motorcycle and put it into your jet ski.

    But the battery is reusable, and can be used else where. Camping, Emergency Generators, vehicals, kids toys, etc.

    And as for the quiteness of them, new problems are only new challenges. Most people cant hear whats outside their car now, with the radio on, speaker phone, and kids crying in the back.

    Funny how quiet is a drawback, when I'm thinking quiet traffic is worth it. You dont jay-walk for a reason, now you dont hear the car hitting you, maybe its darwinism in realtime.

  • Which is what the majority of traffic in any given city is anyway.

    Congestion would be reduced because it's easier to maneuver a motorcycle than a car.
    Pollution would be drastically reduced (once adoption rate is high enough).
    Parking would be WAY easier, since a cycle takes like 1/3 or less the space of a car.
  • Imagine watching a big Harley gang with big Harley people with big Harley clothes with big Harley expressions overtaking your Corolla - but the Harley engines are silent!!!

    mu ha ha ha ...

  • no noise? not a hazard (Score:3, Insightful)

    by tedtimmons ( 97599 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:13PM (#11970905) Homepage
    Most modern, efficient vehicles are very quiet. I doubt most SUV drivers hear a Honda Civic next to them on freeway- even if they aren't on the phone or listening to the radio.

    Why is it any different with a motorcycle? Loud pipes annoy the rider and nearby pedestrians. The visibility issue with motorcycles is more a function of size than volume.

    -ted, motorcycling geek

  • SF ENVy? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Doc Ruby ( 173196 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:13PM (#11970910) Homepage Journal
    In the future, we'll all carry 2KW generators to power our local environments. Mobile devices, climate control, transport. Who knows - when the dollar collapses and oil runs out, maybe our currency will be denominated in Kjoules, which we trade for drinking water. The "Core" transportable fuelcell that powers the ENV is a step in that direction - we're always "in our cars", which transform around us by our needed functions. But I don't get it with this ENV. How is its motor "6KW", while its power supply outputs only 1KW? Is it really all science fiction?
    • In addition it could also possibly pose an interesting safety issue, since a pedestrian or motorist would not hear it coming.

    How about having a man with a red flag and a horn run in front of it to warn others? It is a tried solution [wikipedia.org].

  • As a motorcycle owner (Score:5, Informative)

    by bruciferofbrm ( 717584 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:16PM (#11970941) Homepage
    I have always wanted a quiter bike. I do not like the loud 'like at me' rumble (which may exceed legal limits in many places) that some riders seem to like.

    Now my 250cc Rebel (my firts bike) puts out 15 HP. So, an 8 HP bike might be a bit weeny for highway cruising, but this sounds like a great city bike.

    In terms of noise again, bicycles and even Segways make no (or very little) noise. Its not the pedestrian who has an issue. Its the driver.

    If its licensed like a standard Gas powered bike, then the driver knows the rules on riding and should not be endangering anyone.

    I applaud this and all the other cool alternative fuel bikes. My little bike gets 70 mpg, and my biggest get 35 mpg. Not bad compared to most cars people actually drive, but they still add to the pollutiuon level none the less.
  • ...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!)

  • Watch me Not Care (TM) (Score:5, Insightful)

    by SuperBanana ( 662181 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:40PM (#11971135)
    The engine is completely silent, which might not go well with many motorcycle lovers.

    Pardon my French, but fuck 'em (read till the end for why, I have a little explaining to do first).

    In my state (Massachusetts) a bunch of do-gooders are working on legislation to ban "aftermarket" exhaust systems on cars (and cars only) which are "louder" than the OEM systems. This was originally intended to stop all the idiots with Hondas from putting practically-open mufflers on their 4-bangers. Which IS really annoying.

    However, for people like me who own an older German car for which the exhaust system OEM costs about a bazillion dollars, pretty soon I won't be able to install a significantly cheaper exhaust system, simply because it is slightly louder than the original, and the original was dead quiet...or because I'd have to have it "tested" or the manufacturer would have to have it "certified".

    Meanwhile, some guy who thinks he's really Bad Ass (TM) gets to run COMPLETE STRAIGHT PIPES off his damn Harley that are so loud they make your chest pound. Or some college student on a crotch rocket puts mufflers on his bike that are so loud he sounds like an screaming F1 car. Nevermind none of these idiots have catalytic converters, and the damn things are little better than lawnmowers; most of them are still using carbs (yes, I know some "sport bikes" are now EFI, whatever, that's not the point). They're emissions -nightmares-, and while I have to have my car strapped to a dyno every 2 years, he barely has to have his blinkers checked.

    So, until that law applies to them (it does NOT) AND cops start holding motorcycles to EXISTING noise limits, don't you dare go telling me what I can/can't do with my car's exhaust...and certainly don't whine to me about how a fuel-cell bike makes no noise.

    Thank you. Yes, I am done.

    • I bet if your stupid ass rode a bike you would have loud pipes as well. We have loud pipe so idiots much as yourself can damn sure hear us comming. I cannot tell you how many times I have narrowly escaped serious injury or death because somebody turned in front of me or ran me off the frigging road while changing lanes.

      I got a warning ticket for loud pipes last year and guess what I still ain't putting the damn baffles in them.

      Then the cop that gave me the ticket said he doesn't like loud pipes because we
      • Oh really! How interesting. Allow me to reference a few passage of the Hurt report for our readers' pleasure.

        14. Conspicuity of the motorcycle is a critical factor in the multiple vehicle accidents, and accident involvement is significantly reduced by the use of motorcycle headlamps (on in daylight) and the wearing of high visibility yellow, orange or bright red jackets.
        18. Conspicuity of the motorcycle is most critical for the frontal surfaces of the motorcycle and rider.

        I have a hunching feeling th

      • Re:Watch me Not Care (TM) (Score:3, Informative)

        by Cycon ( 11899 )
        I bet if your stupid ass rode a bike you would have loud pipes as well. We have loud pipe so idiots much as yourself can damn sure hear us comming. I cannot tell you how many times I have narrowly escaped serious injury or death because somebody turned in front of me or ran me off the frigging road while changing lanes.

        You're way off. My ride's a GSX1200, stock pipes. The bike can pull 0-60 in 2.9 seconds, but its quiet enough to slip up behind someone at a crosswalk without their noticing from a meter aw

  • Now that it seems as if GM is going down hill [thewatt.com], what will the status of fell cell activity be? GM has long been the biggest proponent of fuel cell activity among the top 3 auto manufacturers but has been hit hard because of high oil prices [thewatt.com] and the fact that their SUVs are not selling well.

    It could be ironic that high oil prices might actually hurt fuel cell development since the companies that rely on cheap oil are the ones that are also pushing the development of fuel cells.

  • Another Fool Cell (Score:3, Informative)

    by CasaDelGato ( 701438 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:44PM (#11971164) Homepage
    Wow, a Fuel Cell ($$$$) bike that has almost caught up with a pure Electric vehicle. Except that it's top speed is lower, it costs more to build, and is far more difficult to refuel. Yup, Fuel Cells are the future! The only reason Fuel Cells are being pushed so hard is that they retain the Big Company infrastructure needed to use them. You will need a large distribution network if you want to refuel lots of cars, AND you will need to produce all that hyrdrogen - which will likely be made from oil. EV's can do it now at lower cost than Fool Cells, but for some reason are being ignored. (Or actively discouraged - like GM crushing the quite nice EV1's.)

  • Aritfical Noise? (Score:3, Funny)

    by machinegunhand ( 867735 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:47PM (#11971189) Homepage
    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 (Score:5, Funny)

    by 0x20 ( 546659 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @07:51PM (#11971224) Homepage
    ...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?"
  • The engine is completely silent, which might not go well with many motorcycle lovers.

    Too friggen bad.....

    Why does everyone have to make so much friggin noise?

    Punks blast up and down my street with 200,000 watt bongomaster systems and no mufflers.
    The sound pressure levels of these things are so high that they cause physical pain in my head.

    I have a right to peace and quiet. These people invade my home with their offensive "music" and excessive noise.

    It's the "my dick is bigger than your dick" syndrome

  • Chick magnet (Score:3, Funny)

    by hey! ( 33014 ) on Thursday March 17, 2005 @08:02PM (#11971312) Homepage Journal
    It says rebel -- with a social conscience.

    Just the thing for picking up vegan babes at the PETA rally.
  • fuel cells always seem to have vague and bizzare press releases. looking the company you can see what they do, but not what they make or how in hell to get them.. for instance, this article talks about a bike you can't buy, no mention of how much one would cost, nor where you would fill one up, except to mention that you can get a hydrogen generator the size of a shoe box(where? what? who makes it?) and they say the power for this bike is the CORE thing, but google doesn't know a thing about this core devic
  • I hate product announcements that don't include any information about the price of the product, when it will be available, and from where. Does anyone have any of that information? I'd love to buy one if it's not too expensive.

  • Silence is golden. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Domini ( 103836 ) on Friday March 18, 2005 @03:14AM (#11973530) Journal
    I for one don't care much for people broadcasting the fact that they drive a motorcycle with a perpetuated engine fault (Harley).

    I think they should perhaps have speakers embedded into their helmets to blast their own ears away.
    -grin-

    I think some form of speaker system can be installed which will simulate some form of engine noise (Star Wars vehicles come to mind...) to help with the safety issue. Besides, the noise of some motorcycles prevent the rider from hearing others around them.

    I too drive a 3.0 litre Porsche 911 SC, and am painfully aware how bad it is for the environment (and my fuel budget). Fortunately event though my exhaust needs to be replaced (I almost sound as bad as a free-flow modified VW Beetle!) the car is totally silent within. (Pretty cool really)

    I'll miss the roar I think, but then again I'm all for viable (quasi-)electric vehicles.

  • For those of us... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Dan East ( 318230 ) on Friday March 18, 2005 @03:33AM (#11973602) Journal
    whose bikes travel faster than 761 mph, not being heard by people we are overtaking is already a big problem.

    Dan East

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