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The new fuels are gaining ground (and taking more and more space away from electricity). However, there are still segments in which brands have not known how to enter… or that was the case until now. This is the new vehicle that hydrogen has reached, and it is neither a car nor a motorcycle. Do you know what it is? The experts were quick to say it was impossible, and now they have to retract their statement.
This is the new vehicle to run on hydrogen: neither car, nor motorcycle
The Alpha Neo is a new and interesting hydrogen-powered bicycle recently presented by the French start-up Pragma Mobility. This vehicle is a hybrid of a bicycle and a hydrogen fuel cell powered car that has a drivetrain of the fuel cell and a battery power to give a one-of-a-kind high-class riding experience without the emissions.
The apparent picture of the Alpha Neo is that of an electric bicycle or scooter. Nonetheless, it is equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell instead of a huge battery pack. The fuel cell is a device that utilizes the hydrogen from a tiny inbuilt tank to produce the electricity that activates two electric motors.
Alpha Neo can reach the speed of 25 km/h and it has a range of up to 100 km from its 350 bar pressurized hydrogen tank. The process of refueling takes only 2-3 minutes to complete the 1. The 8 kg hydrogen tank, which is enough for several days of regular use, is the 8 kg hydrogen tank that Pragma Mobility claims is enough.
This hydrogen-electric hybrid powertrain reduces the 60 kg Alpha Neo to a lighter and more efficient vehicle than a battery-powered vehicle of the same type. Pragma Mobility unveils its technology that will be a zero-emission vehicle by means of hydrogen fuel cells, at a low price.
Could it be a good idea to develop a hydrogen bicycle? Attention to this detail
Hydrogen fuel cell cars like the Alpha Neo are unlike the battery electric cars in the way they get power and driving. Although batter electric vehicles like Tesla operate on lithium-ion battery packs, the fuel cell vehicles use hydrogen gas to provide the power to the electric motor.
Talking about the Alpha Neo, it uses a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, which is also called PEM fuel cell. The fuel cell merges hydrogen from the bike’s tank with oxygen from the air to create electricity via an electrochemical reaction. The only products that are generated are water and heat.
The energy that is produced by the fuel cell is the same one that is used to run the bike’s motor and all other electrical systems. Thus, a fuel cell vehicle is a car with electricity but it produces its own electricity onboard from hydrogen instead of storing it in big, heavy battery packs.
Fuel cell cars are refilled with hydrogen in a few minutes, thus they get a plus compared to battery electrics which need over an hour to recharge. Nevertheless, right now there is only a little hydrogen refueling infrastructure. The vast majority of experts will soon see hydrogen vehicles and battery electric vehicles co-existing in the future.
The Alpha Neo hydrogen bicycle, at detail: why is so special
The Alpha Neo comes with some benefits which are not available for battery electric vehicles. At first, it is to be said that a car can be refueled with hydrogen much faster than an EV can be recharged. Recharging the Alpha Neo’s hydrogen fuel cell takes no more than a few minutes to be completed.
Besides, the Alpha Neo can travel a greater distance on a full tank of hydrogen than the EV with a full battery charge. The Alpha Neo can travel up to 100 km with the help of hydrogen before it is necessary to refuel. Thus, it gives it an advantage for those who need to travel moderate distances and the refueling is not always a choice.
Finally, we can say that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles such as the Alpha Neo have a much lower environmental impact than the battery electric ones. While the EVs do not emit any harmful gases from their tailpipes, the electricity used to charge them is normally generated from the fossil fuel resources.
This is, as you have seen, the first hydrogen bicycle in history, which is here to stay in a sector that is increasingly sweeping America. Sustainable urban mobility is not only about electricity, an idea you’ve heard us say on several occasions, but about cars. Once again, transportation brands are surprising us again, and will continue to do so.
