Vectrix VX-FCe Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Electric Hybrid Scooter

Fuel cell-powered vehicles have been getting a lot of attention, but these efficient and fast two-wheeled runabouts have a lot to gain from this zero-emission propulsion system, too. Case in point: The Vectrix VX-FCe fuel cell-electric hybrid scooter shown here. By adding a small 500 watt fuel cell to its battery-powered electric scooter, Vectrix has been able to double this two-wheeler’s range and forgo the need to recharge at a power outlet. The fuel cell supplies a continuous trickle of charge to the battery, while the battery provides varying bursts of power to the electric motor as required by driver input. The VX-FCe has a 150 mile range at 25 mph, a top speed of just over 60 mph, and accelerates from 0-50 mph in 6.8 seconds.

With recent investment from industrial and aerospace systems company Parker Hannifin, Vectrix says the VX-FCe will be set to go on sale in select U.S. and European cities in the next two to three years for around $9,000. And here’s another: Intelligent Energy, a British company that recently relocated to Los Angeles, is hoping its ENV motorcycle will go on sale in 2006 for $6,000. If that happens, this fuel cell-powered motorcycle will be the first production fuel cell vehicle on the market.

The ENV features what the company calls CORE, a fully detachable 1 kW fuel cell that could potentially be used to power other appliances when the motorcycle is not in use. Installed in the vehicle beneath the seat, the fuel cell is aided by a battery pack to give the ENV a top speed of 50 mph – which it reaches in 12 seconds from a stop – and a driving range of about 100 miles or 4 hours of continuous use.