It’s rocket fuel. Hydrogen, considered today to replace fossil fuels in aviation or automobiles, is now being used to power a new type of bicycle. The company Pragma, which specializes in the construction of hydrogen fuel cells, has been working on the development of hydrogen bicycles since 2013. Based in Biarritz, it is the only one in the world to mass produce and market this type of bike.
Belonging to the family of electric vehicles, hydrogen bikes differ from conventional electric-assisted two-wheelers in the way they receive power. Not a battery, but a fuel cell that converts hydrogen stored in a tank under the steering wheel into electricity. No greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, just a few drops of water and a little heat.
Despite its 30 kg, the bike can reach 25 kilometers per hour without forcing and can travel about 150 kilometers on a single charge, which is in the average range of a battery bike. But unlike this one, the recharge is very fast. the hydrogen tank is filled in just two minutes at a suitable terminal, compared to several hours for charging lithium batteries.
More ecological
A hydrogen bike is also more environmentally friendly than its lithium-battery cousin; the life of a fuel cell is three times longer than batteries, it is much better recycled and contains 1000 times less rare metals. Therefore, a low impact on the environment, provided that green hydrogen is used, i.e. it is produced without fossil energy. And this is where the problem appears. Most hydrogen production today consumes natural gas and uses processes that are sometimes polluting. A situation that the French government wants to change, thanks to an investment plan of around 9 billion euros in carbon-free hydrogen production by 2030.
” I’m always told about hydrogen as the energy of the future when in fact it can work today – assures Pierre Forte, president and founder of Pragma, a company specializing in hydrogen fuel cells, which has been marketing hydrogen bicycles since 2017. For now, the Alpha neo, its second-generation bikes, is available for rent this summer from about ten rental companies in France equipped with charging terminals, such as Azay-le-Rideau in Indre-et-Loire. Aix-les-Bains in Savoy or Porticcio in Corsica. ” We have good feedback from rental companies that have ordered our fleet of bikes. Many people today struggle to manage the batteries in their fleet of electric bikes. Often you have to charge them all in the middle of the day, and some have to leave them halfway. Refueling hydrogen bikes is much faster and therefore easier to arrange “, he pleads.
For long-term lease until 2023
A third generation of bikes with improved autonomy and durability should be sold by the company in 2023, which wants to offer them to individuals for long-term rental. ” We plan to deploy a network of charging stations next year in Montpellier, Toulouse, Nantes, Bordeaux and south of Paris. – says the founding president. Individuals will be able to purchase a model (around €5,000) or subscribe to a long-term lease (€89 per month for a 4-year lease, including maintenance and unlimited hydrogen at the terminals).
Source: Le Figaro
