Bicycles

Hydrogen fuel-cell ebikes can be 'recharged' in seconds

Hydrogen fuel-cell ebikes can be 'recharged' in seconds
HydroRide Europe AG's HYRYD ebikes use a hydrogen fuel-cell to power the ride, with a compact solar-powered hydrogen generator available for green H2 production potential
HydroRide Europe AG's HYRYD ebikes use a hydrogen fuel-cell to power the ride, with a compact solar-powered hydrogen generator available for green H2 production potential
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HydroRide Europe AG's HYRYD ebikes use a hydrogen fuel-cell to power the ride, with a compact solar-powered hydrogen generator available for green H2 production potential
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HydroRide Europe AG's HYRYD ebikes use a hydrogen fuel-cell to power the ride, with a compact solar-powered hydrogen generator available for green H2 production potential
HydroRide Europe AG has showcased its technologies at MicroMobility in Amsterdam earlier this month, and will next appear at Eurobike in Frankfurt from July 3
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HydroRide Europe AG has showcased its technologies at MicroMobility in Amsterdam earlier this month, and will next appear at Eurobike in Frankfurt from July 3
HydroRide Europe AG currently has three models in its HYRYD ebike range, but is targeting B2B rental customers rather than regular consumers
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HydroRide Europe AG currently has three models in its HYRYD ebike range, but is targeting B2B rental customers rather than regular consumers
HydroRide Europe AG's compact solar-powered hydrogen generator is reported capable of producing green hydrogen courtesy of a solar panel array
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HydroRide Europe AG's compact solar-powered hydrogen generator is reported capable of producing green hydrogen courtesy of a solar panel array
The HYRYD container is installed in the ebike's frame, and holds 20 g of H2 at around 1 MPa
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The HYRYD container is installed in the ebike's frame, and holds 20 g of H2 at around 1 MPa
HydroRide Europe AG offered test rides to visitors of the MicroMobility expo in Amsterdam recently
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HydroRide Europe AG offered test rides to visitors of the MicroMobility expo in Amsterdam recently
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While most ebikes on the road today will come with a battery pack, some are riding down the hydrogen fuel-cell cycle path. HydroRide not only has fuel-cell ebikes available, but also a compact refill station to top up H2 canisters.

The global ebike market is estimated to grow in value to almost US$120 billion by 2030, and it's not surprising. Whether commuting or leisure riding, pedal-assist bikes take some of the strain out of the journey while also opening up routes for older riders. The vast majority of ebikes on the street roll with Li-ion batteries, but they can spend a good deal of time parked up charging,

Swiss tech company HydroRide Europe AG is hoping to tempt e-cyclists over to the hydrogen fuel cell camp with the promise of super-fast top-ups for its range of city ebikes. And even has a compact hydrogen generator in its product portfolio, which can produce 20 g of hydrogen from 200 ml of purified water in around five-to-six hours. The company says that its refill station can even be powered by solar panels instead of the grid to produce green hydrogen, though efficiency and operational figures don't appear to have been revealed.

The HYRYD container is installed in the ebike's frame, and holds 20 g of H2 at around 1 MPa
The HYRYD container is installed in the ebike's frame, and holds 20 g of H2 at around 1 MPa

Either way, that hydrogen is transferred to a 25-cm-tall (9.8-in) bottle-like container at an internal pressure of 1 MPa. Popping one of these containers into the frame of one of the company's HYRYD ebikes feeds the onboard 180-W fuel cell and offers up to 60 km (37 miles) of range. Then it's just a case of removing a spent container and replacing it with a fresh one, which is said to take just 3-10 seconds.

HydroRide currently has a low-step commuter ebike in its range, along with a sport model and a compact three-step folding city bike that weighs in at 19.5 kg (43 lb). Each features a rear hub motor to provide pedal-assist to 23 km/h (14 mph) and reliable stopping power is provided by disc braking.

Though other specs are not included in the press materials, there is mention of a container-swap station in the works that's aimed at fleet operators, and works in a similar way to Gogoro's battery swap stations. A rider running low on H2 can pull up to a swap station and pull out a "charged" container, quickly install it in the HYRYD ebike and then place the spent module in the same slot on the swap hub, where it will reportedly be refilled using solar energy.

HydroRide Europe AG has showcased its technologies at MicroMobility in Amsterdam earlier this month, and will next appear at Eurobike in Frankfurt from July 3
HydroRide Europe AG has showcased its technologies at MicroMobility in Amsterdam earlier this month, and will next appear at Eurobike in Frankfurt from July 3

As for pricing, all of HydroRide's products are aimed at rental businesses rather than consumers so European riders may need to look for HYRYD-based rideshare schemes. Or perhaps you'll be lucky enough to work for a company that offers the H2-powered ebikes to employees as "leave the car at home" incentives in the future. A fuel-cell-powered e-scoot is also on the development roadmap.

The company has recently displayed its product line at the MicroMobility expo in Amsterdam, and is now preparing for Eurobike in Frankfurt from July 3.

Source: HydroRide Europe AG

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15 comments
15 comments
Palmerfralick
why would NA even give this bike a write up? What's the point?
Luke
So long as hydrogen production takes over 2x more electricity to produce than it generates, hydrogen fuel cells are not a viable option for transportation. We need a more efficient means of producing hydrogen before we can effectively switch from combustible fuels. Electrolysis is extremely inefficient.
Uncle Anonymous
While this bike has the same range as my ebike, I would ditch my ride in a heartbeat for one of these folding hydrogen fuel-cell ebikes if they live up to the hype. The big advantage to these is the elimination of range anxiety by carrying an extra bottle of hydrogen. I like the solar-powered hydrogen generator too. That would save a major headache in trying to find a place to refill the canisters. My only gripe is that I will not be ably to buy one unless I start a rental company.
Niclas
Cool but pointles. Why not just switch batteries, in seconds.
martinwinlow
Lordy! Here we go again! Will these people never learn? There simply isn't *any* hope of this silliness gaining traction in the e-bike market. 1/ e-bikes are already ridiculously expensive - I think it would be fair to say that adding a fuel cell is going to *double* the cost (if not more). Where are people going to get the H2 from? Storing LPG is dangerous/heavily regulated/expensive enough!
But the killer is that generally, battery technology is going to (arguably already has) advance at sufficient pace to make the refuelling and energy-to-volume issues irrelevant well before H2FC vehicles will ever gain any market. As far as range is concerned, even existing batteries can give a good 20 mile range with only an hour charging. Who the heck wants to do more than 20 miles in one hit on a bicycle?
windykites
This is inventiveness gone mad! Did not see a mention of the price, but it won't be cheap!
Is this bike ugly? I think so.
joe46
I'd be a bit concerned about having a canister of explosive hydrogen compressed to 1MPa (145 psi) between my legs.
Karmudjun
Is this truly ready for prime time? Until H2 stations are local, this sort of thing will require a "living off the grid" mentality. Your legs do a pretty good job on bicycles, hydrogen fuel cell assist is a nice concept but to be realistic, the efficiency of energy consumption should beat ICE efficiencies for miles/kms down the road. There are those whiners who ridicule such technological applications, but as useless as this is, it shows another incremental step in transportation alternatives. After all, the Indy raceway was useless when the model A's rolled out, but by the time the "brickyard" was famous, innovative driving technology had been proven possible - some safe, some not so safe!
Ray6969
It's a cool idea, however it's also a good way to put man in space without a ship! Can you imagine having that ticking time bomb detonate under your backside!? Instant colonoscopy and a whole lot more!
Adrian Akau
Please follow up later on. If a method can be found to use metal hydrides in place of pressurized hydrogen, then I would say that this technology might be developed.
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