What’s the biggest pain about an electric bike? The battery. Then there’s its weight, which necessitates the bike itself be big and bulky, and therefore a nuisance to other road users. Well, all that’s about to change, as hydrogen bikes are coming to Nanjing!
Yesterday, 28 September, was the day China’s first hydrogen-powered bicycle went on sale. The bike supports 2.5 hours of continuous riding, has a range of 55 kilometres, a maximum speed of 22 kilometres per hour and a price tag of ¥12,800.
And being the first, it’s called the Alpha. Even better, it’s the product of a company based right here in our very own Jiangsu Province; Yong’anhang Technology Co., Ltd., out of Changzhou City.
The location of their headquarters is also likely at least partially behind the decision to initially only market the Alpha series of bikes across the Yangtze River Delta.
Together with Nanjing, the cities of Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou are among those where the Alpha will be available, reports The Paper.
At the Alpha’s launch, Sun Jisheng, Chairman of Yong’anhang, introduced that the Alpha is a prime example of one of the development paths which can help China achieve its “double carbon” goals and realize the transformation of the country’s national energy strategy.
But where will I go to change my hydrogen tank?
Nowhere. Until there can be sufficient a network of locations to swap out hydrogen tanks, owners of the Alpha series can enjoy the luxury of a new tank delivered to their home whenever necessary.
And how long will it take to change the 0.7-litre tank? 10 seconds. That will be a nice change from those heavy, electric-bike batteries and their hours upon hours of charge time.
Enjoy it while you can. Sun, somewhat optimistically, also said, “In the future, in a city like Shanghai, where one million people ride hydrogen-powered bicycles, we will set up hydrogen-replacement devices in residential areas or related service areas”.
While waiting for that day to come, owners of Alpha series bikes can enjoy 500 bottles of replacement-hydrogen tanks and a service after 26,000 kilometres of travel, within 5 years of purchase.
When you think about it, that’s not a bad deal. After all, if you spend ¥4 per day, 5 days per week, on your metro ride to and from work, that’s ¥1,000 per year.
And just as with lithium batteries, prices for hydrogen fuel cells are also expected to drop significantly in the coming years. So expect the Alpha to become cheaper too.
On paper, it’s all fantastic news, of course. Yet, there are many obstacles still to overcome, not least safety considerations. If electric bike batteries charging in homes are a danger, what of hundreds of bikes laden with tanks of hydrogen parked willy nilly?
