Are you looking for a vehicle that will
have your neighbors staring in
disbelief? How about a motor bike
that goes 100 miles on $4 worth
of... hydrogen? A British company,
Intelligent Energy, recently unveiled
just such a vehicle.
The ENV (it stands for Energy
Neutral Vehicle) is described
by Intelligent Energy (IE) as
“the world’s first purpose-built,
fuel-cell motorbike.” It is
based around IE’s CORE fuel
cell, which the company says
is “a fully-integrated 1kW fuel
cell generator providing power
on demand directly to the drive-train.”
The ENV is actually a hybrid
vehicle in that it also has
a battery pack that provides
a 6kW peak load to the motor
– to help the bike accelerate
from a standing start.
IE says the ENV motor bike
goes from 0 to 30 in 7.3 seconds
and has a top speed of 50 mph.
The company also says it is
“virtually silent (with noise
emissions equivalent to an everyday
home computer) and its emissions
are almost completely clean."
On a full tank, the ENV bike
could be used continually for
up to four hours without any
need for re-fueling. The bike
can be used by almost any rider
as it has simple controls and
no gears. While it is officially
classified as a motorbike, those
who have ridden it say "it
feels more like a very quick
and responsive mountain bike.”
Of course, there is a downside
to a hydrogen-powered motor
bike, and that is the fact that
you just don't find hydrogen
service stations on every corner.
Or on just about any corner.
However, Intelligent Energy
is also working on new technology
for separating hydrogen from
other fuels, so you may find
more places to say "fill
'er up" in the years to
come.
Intelligent Energy has announced
that when available later this
year, that the ENV will initially
sell for less than $10,000.
But then, what's $10,000 when
you're creating pratically clean
emissions, and your neighbors
are staring in envy?
Here's another new technology
and it costs nothing. Its HD
Radio and it enables AM and
FM radio stations to broadcast
their programs digitally. These
digital broadcasts provide listeners
with radically improved audio
quality, more radio channels
through multicasting, and new
data services. To learn more
about this amazing new technology,
just go my Web site, http://www.hd-radio-home.com,
to get all the buzz.
Douglas Hanna is a retired
marketing executive and the
author of numerous articles
on HD radio, the Internet, technology
and family finances.
