Frequently asked questions
In this section of the site you'll find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about ENV - the world's first purpose designed, fuel cell powered motorcycle.
When will the ENV be available to buy?
It’s currently going through the regulatory approval process in the EU. This could take some time, as this is the world’s first hydrogen motorcycle and to some extent, the rules are being written for the ENV. We expect this phase to be complete in 2009, at which point we will unveil plans for the next stage of the ENV . To start with, this will likely be in small fleets, and as demand increases for clean vehicles, we’ll roll out the ENV in larger numbers.
How much will it cost?
We’re not going to predict a price, as there is some way to go yet before the ENV hits the market. However, the intention has always been to make the ENV, and all of our technology, available at a competitive price, so that the end user has a real choice. Our entire company is built upon the idea that modern, zero-emissions technology will be affordable, reliable and versatile, and we expect that the ENV will be competitively priced when it goes on the market. It may transpire that the first bikes are leased to a pool of customers, as we’ve seen with fuel cell cars in the US this year, but we want to ensure that clean motoring is not beyond the reach of the ordinary consumer.
How many ENVs will be made?
We’ll roll them out gradually. We’re confident that the ENV will be a huge hit, but to begin with we’ll probably make a small number available under lease to let us gauge the reaction of the first riders. Once we take that feedback into account, and put our plans for mass production into place, the number of ENVs will increase substantially. Of course, this will have to be done in tandem with providing hydrogen refuelling facilities to the people that need them.
What is the bike’s top speed and range?
We’re very happy about the performance we get from the ENV. The electric motor on the ENV allows it to accelerate very quickly, but the top speed is restricted to around 50 mph. That’s not in the superbike range, but it is more than fast enough for our expected target market, which is the urban commuter. The ENV will clean up city traffic when it hits the road. The range of the bike is approximately 100 miles, which combined with a refuelling time of only a few minutes makes the ENV a consumer friendly, practical proposition.
Will people need a special licence to ride an ENV?
We want the ENV to conform to all the standards of other road bikes- and that includes making sure that people have the right qualifications and skills to ride them. The ENV will go through all the tests that the relevant authorities require, and it will meet all the regulations that would be imposed on any other motorcycle.
The bike is silent and produces no engine noise – how will the public cope with that?
The ENV will have headlights, a horn, signals, high-performance brakes - all the components that make modern vehicles safe. It’s a good thing that the ENV won’t produce toxic emissions, and the lack of noise pollution will be an added bonus. Naturally, when it appears on the streets for the first time people will find it an arresting site, but we don’t anticipate its quiet performance leading to any increased safety issues.
How did the idea for the ENV come about?
We felt that it was important that we demonstrated just what these fuel cell systems were capable of, and we set out to make an impression with the ENV. We worked with Seymourpowell, a leading design agency, and came up with the ENV. It’s clear that we achieved our aim. Since it was first unveiled three years ago, it never fails to attract enormous amounts of interest earn rave reviews. It has been the springboard for lots of other exciting projects we’ve got involved with since then.
How does it work?
The ENV is powered by a fuel cell system, which effectively replaces the internal combustion engine, as well as a battery that can be charged by the fuel cell when it’s running. The fuel cell converts hydrogen into electricity to produce power; this hydrogen is stored on the bike in an advanced composite high pressure cylinder. Hydrogen passes through the fuel cell, where it is reacted with oxygen from the air and produces power, with water vapour created in the process. This is the only thing that comes out of the exhaust: steam. The fuel cell is built in such a way that if we needed more power, we could just add more fuel cell units to the stack. Our fuel cells are designed in such a way as to yield a lot of power from a relatively small volume; they are highly power dense. That’s the result of the twenty years of R&D and fuel cell expertise behind the company.
Where will people be able to fill up their hydrogen motorbikes?
There aren’t many hydrogen filling stations just yet – that’s because there are no vehicles on the road for them to service. We’ve just opened the second hydrogen refuelling facility in the country at Loughborough – the first was in Birmingham. There will shortly also be refuelling stations in South Wales and London. When fleets of hydrogen vehicles are launched, it’s likely that a central refuelling facility will be installed nearby, from where people can get hydrogen. As hydrogen vehicles become more widespread, we’ll see more and more stations appearing from a variety of sources because the demand will be there. Importantly, the ENV and other vehicles we’ve worked on have a substantial range, so you won’t need to stay really close to the refueller in order to be able to run the bike without fear of running out of gas. It wouldn’t be sensible to rush straight into building an expensive hydrogen infrastructure right away- we understand that this technology and the whole concept of hydrogen as a fuel of the future will take time to prove itself, and its growth will be measured at first. But we’re confident that people will be impressed when they see what it can do.
Isn’t hydrogen dangerous?
It can be, if it’s not handled properly – but it’s the same for petrol and many other fuels. The technology exists to keep it safe in a tank at high pressure for long periods of time. All in all, hydrogen is just about as dangerous – or as safe – as petrol. As a gas, hydrogen will float away into the air if it leaks, unlike liquids such as petrol, which can lie around for prolonged periods and present a flammable risk.
Where does the hydrogen come from?
At the moment, we get it from industrial gas suppliers, such as BOC or Air products. Hydrogen can be produced from a diverse range sources, which makes it a great way of reducing our dependence on crude oil. It can be made from natural gas, biofuels, biomass and oil; basically anything with some hydrogen in it. Producing hydrogen from most of these sources means that some CO2 is created as a by-product, but when the hydrogen is used in a fuel cell to produce power, then on a emissions per mile basis or similar measure, it creates much less carbon dioxide than if these materials were burned in conventional engines – hydrogen has a much smaller carbon footprint. Hydrogen can also be made from splitting of water, using electricity, if this electricity is produced using renewable energy like solar or wind power, then the entire process produces no CO2 at all.
What other things can hydrogen be used to power?
Hydrogen has almost limitless potential... obviously we’ve had a lot of attention from our work on motorbikes, delivery vans, taxis, and other automotive applications. But fuel cells can be produced to fit a range of needs. We put a larger one into a light aircraft this year, in a project with Boeing. Smaller fuel cell units have been used for combined heat and power units for homes and offices, and they are also suitable for some consumer electronics applications.
Where will hydrogen fit into the transport climate of the future?
We know that there is deep-seated demand for clean vehicles. People want low-carbon and zero emissions transit. Fuel cells provide one way of getting that. We hope that other technologies will be encouraged to develop so that emissions from transport are cut dramatically in the coming years. Lots more options for clean transport are out there, such as electric cars. We hope that the streets of the future will have a range of clean vehicles on them, because more than anything else, we need diversity in our energy markets, and we need to continue to innovate when it comes to developing technology that meets the needs of the consumer.
Is IE set to become a big automaker in the East Midlands?
We work in a different way. Our speciality is in developing and integrating fuel cells into the products of our business partners, be they motorbikes, other vehicles, aerospace projects, or distributed power such as in CHP. We work with partners such as Suzuki, Boeing, Lotus/LTI, and Scottish & Southern Energy to provide manufacturing and marketing expertise, so that we can concentrate on making the best fuel cell technology for the final products.
