Brian Bell

LONDON: CLEAN fuel-cell engine powered vehicles that are designed for the real world are expected to be widely available to a large global market in the near future.

The UK clean power systems company that developed the world's first fuel-cell motorcycle has recently been testing the latest version of this exciting project.

This takes the next step towards offering cleaner, more efficient motorcycles in a practical and accessible form with potential to reduce emissions significantly across the world.

Intelligent Energy is also the key partner in the consortium building the hydrogen-fuelled hybrid taxi that recently attracted worldwide media interest. The partners are poised to deliver a fleet of the zero-emission hybrid black cabs on London's roads by 2012.

The ENV was the first hydrogen-fuelled, hybrid electric motorcycle that performed much like any other apart from the fact it is near silent and emits only water vapour.

After its development, Intelligent Energy (IE) partnered with the Suzuki Motor Corporation to provide the fuel cells for a new generation of zero-emission motorcycles under development in Japan and at IE's headquarters at Loughborough, central England.

The scooter is equipped with the latest version of IE's unique and proprietary air-cooled, clean fuel-cell power systems and is fuelled from a cylinder of hydrogen that can be filled in a few minutes and gives a range of 350 kilometres.

"The zero-emissions Burgman fuel-cell scooter is the latest product of the successful commercial relationship between Suzuki and Intelligent Energy," said Dr Henri Winand, IE's chief executive officer.

"Intelligent Energy has reached a very exciting stage in the development of its clean power systems with the recent opening of Japanese and Indian offices.

"We are always proud to demonstrate how Intelligent Energy contributes to the commercialisation of clean technologies on an international stage," said Dr Winand, adding: "Clearly, UK innovation is vital for international trade and to fully realise the genuine opportunities which now exist in the fast expanding clean technology sector."

The first public road tests of the scooter were conducted at Loughborough then extended to controlled fleet tests in cities such as London where zero-emission vehicles such as a fuel-cell scooter have the greatest initial potential.

The chair of the London Hydrogen Partnership and London's Deputy Mayor for policing, Kit Malthouse, who saw one of the demonstrations, said: "I am incredibly excited by the Burgman fuel-cell scooter. It's a fantastic piece of kit which shows how we can combat climate change without all having to wear hair shirts.

"This scooter, which produces nothing but water, is a triumph of human ingenuity. I hope Londoners will dump their 20th-century motorcycles and buy one built for the 21st century."

Intelligent Energy partners with leading companies globally in transport, oil and gas, aerospace, defence, distributed generation and portable power markets.

Other partners and customers include Scottish & Southern Energy with whom the company has formed a joint venture to commercialise fuel-cell combined heat and power systems.

Intelligent Energy's other recent successes also include supplying the fuel-cell system to Boeing that powered the world's first manned fuel-cell aircraft.

The company also recently supplied Airbus with a multi-functional fuel-cell auxiliary power unit aimed at on-board power and other loads in future commercial airliners.