On Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:56:42 -0500, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:
snip
It looks encouraging. At $0.20/mile for battery replacement cost, we're not
there yet. And it's disconcerting that it's taken so long to get even close
to a viable battery. It makes me question what kinds of brick walls they're
really running into. They should have had this one licked 20 years ago, and
it shouldn't have taken billions of dollars to get there.

But, in the long run, of course. Fuel cells, maybe. Batteries, probably.
N.B. ^^^^^^^^
--
Ed Huntress
========
Suzuki is making progress on fuel cells. Scooter on sale in 2015
depending on fuel availability.

See
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/...ki-tested.html


Hydrogen fuel-cell Suzuki tested
Is hydrogen the future? Suzuki thinks it might be and has a
working prototype based on its Burgman scooter.


By Kevin Ash
Published: 4:00PM GMT 15 Feb 2010

snip
Suzuki doesn't see battery power as a practical solution, which
is why it's developing a hydrogen fuel-cell and battery hybrid
drivetrain, in conjunction with British fuel-cell specialist
Intelligent Energy (IE).
snip

The aim is to produce a vehicle that does not demand a change in
rider behaviour. Therefore, it must have comparable range, power
and refuelling times to conventional petrol scooters.

The prototype machine I rode matched most of these requirements.
The weight, for example, is similar to the production Burgman
125. It took slightly longer to refill than a tank of petrol, but
it was still only a few minutes.

The time between turning the "ignition" key and being able to
ride away is about one second, so no problem there, but the
claimed range is 200 miles at a steady 19mph.

snip

IE's Dr Damian Davies insists there's no reason why the range of
a production version shouldn't match the Burgman 125 in normal
riding, but figures better aligned with everyday use would have
been more convincing.

snip

Suzuki plans to have a viable production fuel-cell two-wheeler on
sale by 2015. It will cost more than a conventional,
petrol-engined Burgman 125, which costs just over £3,000, but
service costs will be minimal because the cell requires little
maintenance and is intended to last the life of the vehicle.

Compared with exorbitantly costly all-battery two-wheelers,
there's no question hydrogen fuel cells present a more realistic
alternative to petrol engines.

The Burgman I rode was barely distinguishable from the stock
machine and that's what matters.
==========

Anyone know how much money American companies have "invested" in
fuel cell vehicles with no results?


Unka George (George McDuffee)
...............................
The past is a foreign country;
they do things differently there.
L. P. Hartley (1895-1972), British author.
The Go-Between, Prologue (1953).