Fuel Cell Bike

With gas prices soaring and oil supplies dwindling, a lot of people are clamoring for so-called "alternative" vehicles. Some of these people want vehicles that run on sunshine and rainbows, but the majority of folks would be happy with a car that just gets better gas mileage. Gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles are the current hot-item to have, and there's a good chance that a gas-electric powerplant will power most future vehicles.

The CORE unit looks pretty damn cool. Given the overall design of the bike, we can't help but be reminded of the Cyclones of the third generation of Robotech. We can almost envision the CORE unit being powered by Protoculture. Luckily for us, as the CORE unit runs on hydrogen, we don't have to worry about an Invid invasion.

Well, enough of that odd tangent, let's talk about the ENV's performance. The ENV isn't mind-numbingly fast - it takes 12.1 seconds to go from 0-50 mph. Oh yeah, 50 miles per hour is also the ENV's top speed, but Intelligent Energy says that the bike can be engineered to reach higher speeds.

The ENV is designed to usable both on and off the road. The bike has 11 inches of ground clearance, and the suspension travel is supposed to be on par with most off-road bikes. As such, the ENV has the potential to be successful as both a recreational vehicle and as a nimble ride for the city.

Intelligent Energy is talking with various motorcycle manufacturers about putting the ENV into production. It is expected to retail for about $6,000 when sold in limited quantities. If the bike can be sold in greater numbers, you can expect that price to drop.

If saving the Earth on two wheels sounds like your idea of fun, or if you are a science nerd curious about the fuel cell technology used in the CORE, check out the ENV's official site at www.ENVBike.com.

[ Robotech ]