The complete guide to hydrogen bike – introduction and analysis

Market analysis of two-wheelers

The development of science and technology has been significantly reflected in transportation. In the past, people mainly relied on human or animal power for travel. But now, with the continuous advancement of science and technology, new means of transportation such as electric energy and fuel are constantly emerging, providing us with more choices for short-distance and long-distance travel.

In terms of short-distance travel, electric vehicles are powered by electricity and have the advantage of being more environmentally friendly. The vehicles are small, flexible and very convenient. Therefore, they are widely used for daily commuting to and from get off work, picking up children and shopping.

After a period of price war, the lithium battery two wheeler market entered a mature period from 2014 to 2019, with annual sales stabilizing at about 30 million to 36 million vehicles. Moreover, the outbreak of the epidemic in 2020 stimulated the demand for safe travel, with sales reaching 47.6 million vehicles that year.

Hydrogen bike does not require excessive subsidies

At present, the hydrogen energy industry is still in the early stages of development and requires a large amount of capital investment for technology research and development and infrastructure construction. In addition, the construction of the hydrogen energy industry chain also requires a large amount of financial support, including hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and transportation, hydrogen refueling stations and other links.

Due to the high costs in these aspects, government subsidies have become one of the most important means of support in the development of the hydrogen energy industry.

In the development of the hydrogen energy industry, the development of hydrogen bike may not require excessive subsidy support. Because hydrogen bike has relatively low cost and environmental protection advantages, and its range of use is relatively wide, it is suitable for urban and rural areas. Can hydrogen bikes become an important development direction in the hydrogen energy industry?

How does a hydrogen bike work?

On the basis of ordinary two-wheeled vehicles, hydrogen bike adds a hydrogen generator and hydrogen storage device (hydrogen energy rod). The hydrogen generator is a fuel cell that generates kinetic energy through the electrochemical reaction of the built-in hydrogen generator. The working principle is as follows:

• Hydrogen storage: Hydrogen is stored in a safe high-pressure tank and delivered to the fuel cell in a stable manner.
• Fuel cell (mainly proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)) reaction: The fuel cell is composed of multiple battery units, each unit contains a positive electrode (anode), a negative electrode (cathode) and an electrolyte membrane. Hydrogen enters the anode of the fuel cell, and oxygen enters the cathode from the air.
• Electrochemical reaction: Inside the fuel cell, hydrogen is catalyzed by a catalyst (usually platinum) at the anode and decomposed into hydrogen ions (ie protons) and electrons. Hydrogen ions move through the electrolyte membrane to the cathode, while electrons flow through an external circuit to power the motor.
• Produce water and heat: At the cathode, hydrogen ions, electrons and oxygen combine to produce water and heat as by-products of the reaction.
• Power output: The generated current drives the motor, allowing the two-wheeled vehicle to move. Excess electricity may be stored in batteries for later use.

The hydrogen bike riding process does not produce any carbon emissions, only water and heat emissions. At present, some companies can achieve this, with speeds up to 150km/h, and hydrogen energy rod solid-state hydrogen storage technology with a cruising range of up to 153 kilometers.

The main application scenarios of hydrogen bike

Hydrogen energy can be used in small fuel cell applications without relying on subsidies, and two-wheelers are a good example. Due to the high energy density of hydrogen, people in the past mainly focused on heavy trucks, ships, aircraft, high-speed rail, household storage and other fields.

However, for the field of small energy storage units such as two-wheelers, hydrogen energy has more advantages. This advantage is mainly reflected in the fact that the energy storage unit of the two-wheeled vehicle is smaller and the total cost is lower.

The application scenarios of hydrogen bike mainly include the following aspects:

• Urban travel: As an environmentally friendly and efficient means of transportation, hydrogen bike is suitable for short-distance travel in the city. Due to its characteristics of zero emission, low noise and low maintenance cost, it can relieve urban traffic pressure and reduce environmental pollution.
• Shared travel: Hydrogen bike is suitable as a shared travel tool and can provide citizens with a more convenient and comfortable travel method. On the basis of shared travel modes such as shared bicycles and cars, adding the sharing service of hydrogen bike can expand the scope of travel options and improve travel efficiency.
• Short-distance logistics: Hydrogen bike can be used for short-distance logistics and distribution, such as express delivery, supermarket distribution, etc. Its efficient logistics transportation capabilities and environmentally friendly energy consumption can reduce logistics costs and reduce environmental impact.
• Tourist attractions: The roads in tourist attractions are narrow and traditional cars are inconvenient. Hydrogen bike can easily cope with this situation. Its low-noise and zero-emission characteristics also meet the environmental protection requirements of scenic spots and can provide tourists with a more comfortable and convenient travel experience.

According to this, the hydrogen ebike field can target both B-end operations and C-end high-end consumer groups, and the investment cost is low. It can provide good application scenarios for the promotion of hydrogen even without relying on subsidies.

The frame composition of hydrogen bike

The frame of a hydrogen bike includes main components such as the frame, hydrogen storage system, hydrogen fuel cells system, motorcycle battery pack, motor system and control system. These components work together to enable the vehicle to operate properly and provide efficient energy use:

• Ebike frame: The basic structure used to support and secure all other components.
• Hydrogen storage system: including high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks and related valves, pipelines and other components, used to store hydrogen and provide it to fuel cells.
• Hydrogen fuel cell system: It is the core part of hydrogen bike, including fuel cell stack, hydrogen air intake system, oxygen air intake system and cooling system. The hydrogen intake system introduces hydrogen from the storage tank into the fuel cell stack, where it chemically reacts with oxygen to produce electricity and water vapor. Cooling systems are used to control the temperature of the fuel cell to keep it functioning properly.
• Power battery pack: Used to store the electric energy generated by the fuel cell to ensure that the vehicle can provide high power output in a short time.
• Electric motor system: It is composed of electric motor, transmission and driving wheel, etc. It converts electrical energy into mechanical energy to drive the vehicle.
• Control system: Used to monitor and control various parts of the hydrogen energy battery vehicle to ensure its normal operation.

In addition, hydrogen bikes may also be equipped with other auxiliary systems, such as battery management systems, power management systems, etc., to ensure the safety and reliability of the vehicle.

The difference between hydrogen bike vs hydrogen fuel cell car

As a representative of fuel cell terminal applications, hydrogen bike is different from the general hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in three points:

In terms of power mode, existing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are essentially extended-range hydrogen energy vehicles, while two-wheeled vehicles generally use air-cooled stacks/liquid-cooled stacks as the main power source; As for the hydrogen storage method, hydrogen bikes mostly use solid hydrogen storage bottles for storage, and fixed-point replacement mode can be used to replace and replenish the hydrogen bottles;

Business model: Hydrogen bike has the advantages of long battery life, fast energy replenishment, and low comprehensive energy cost, which is very suitable for the market demand of shared motorcycles and food delivery vehicles.
Moreover, the market space in these two fields is still increasing year by year, which can provide further development opportunities for the emerging hydrogen bike.

With the rapid development of new technologies such as intelligent vehicle manufacturing, fuel cell core units and hydrogen power system integration, hydrogen light vehicles represented by hydrogen bike provide more environmentally friendly, energy-saving and convenient solutions for short-distance travel such as shared travel and urban terminal distribution, and expand the concept of beautiful travel and the development of the hydrogen energy industry.

Prospect analysis of hydrogen bike

In the sharing field, hydrogen ebike is expected to be widely used. Due to the fuel cell system’s higher safety profile, it is expected to be promoted in first- and second-tier cities where shared motorcycles are prohibited.

In contrast, third- and fourth-tier cities do not restrict shared motorcycles, but from an economic perspective, shared motorcycles are more suitable for use. Hydrogen energy bicycles are easy to use and use small solid-state hydrogen storage bottles, which makes it possible for it to enter the high-end travel market in the C-end market.

In takeout delivery scenarios, hydrogen bikes are expected to replace electric two-wheelers. Currently, two-wheeler companies such as Yadea, one of the top 10 electric motorcycle manufacturers in China, are actively developing this business.

The development of technology never stops. Currently, many individuals and manufacturers are developing new transportation tools, and a variety of potential alternatives have emerged. Among them, hydrogen bike, as a new type of transportation powered by hydrogen, has not only appeared, but has also begun to be gradually popularized.

Compared with traditional electric bicycles, hydrogen bicycles have the advantages of being environmentally friendly, pollution-free, recyclable fuel cells, and short hydrogen replacement time. And compared with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and other methods, hydrogen ebike will be easier to promote and cost less.

With the continuous advancement of technology and large-scale production, its price is expected to be cheaper than lithium batteries, thus further promoting its application in the market. Consumers will also have more direct contact with hydrogen energy.

Advantages of hydrogen ebike vs lithium ebike

Hydrogen ebike has some advantages over traditional lithium ebike.

• Long life: The service life of the fuel cell system is about 2,000 hours, which is twice that of lithium batteries. This means that consumers have a longer service life and higher stability for hydrogen electric bicycles.
• Stable cruising range: The hydrogen ebike’s generator and hydrogen energy rods are not affected by the weather and can maintain a stable cruising range. However, the cruising range of traditional motorcycles will be affected by excessively high or low temperatures. The cruising range in winter and summer seasons The difference is 10-20 kilometers.
• Safety: Hydrogen ebike has stronger safety performance. Its internal low-pressure solid-state hydrogen storage device absorbs heat when released, and the speed is slow and will not explode. In comparison, traditional motorcycles are more prone to accidents when charging.
• Internet of Vehicles technology is more convenient: hydrogen ebike also has a number of Internet of Vehicles technologies, such as GPS positioning, IoT communication, information collection and processing, etc., which can realize functions such as intelligent perception, interaction, and big data services, making it more intelligent .
• Economical: The economical efficiency of hydrogen ebike is comparable to that of shared motorcycle charging standards in most areas.

At present, hydrogen ebikes have not been widely popularized and need to be improved. Let’s talk about what problems hydrogen ebikes currently face. If you want to learn about high-performance custom lithium battery two-wheelers, you can take a look at the Tycorun dual-battery compartment two-wheeler, which can also be used for battery swap station. And also, Tycorun is one of the top 10 two-wheeler battery swapping companies in China.

What hinders the promotion of hydrogen bike?

However, although hydrogen bike participants have explored sharing, fixed-point and other business models in recent years, the following four issues still hinder the promotion of hydrogen bike.

1. The product maturity is not high and the cost remains high. Hydrogen bike products currently have problems such as crude design, insufficient performance, and poor product experience. In addition, according to public reports, the unit price of most hydrogen bikes currently on the market is more than 10,000 RMB. For operators, the cost of hydrogen bikes is much higher than that of pure electric two-wheelers, which hinders the further promotion of hydrogen shared two-wheelers;
2. The technology still needs to be improved and the infrastructure is insufficient. The hydrogen bike charging infrastructure needs to be accelerated. At the same time, taking the application of the shared market as an example, the current hydrogen bike lacks positive design that is suitable for shared operations, such as shared hydrogen bike structural safety, damage resistance, anti-theft, long battery life, easy electric scooter maintenance, etc. The design needs to be strengthened in all aspects to take into account the safety and stability of the vehicle;
3. The construction of standards and regulations lags behind. The group and corporate logos related to hydrogen bike need to be supplemented and improved urgently;
4. The model is immature, and government supervision and guidance need to be strengthened urgently. The development of hydrogen bike projects is mostly driven by fuel cell companies. There is insufficient cooperation in the industrial chain, the business model needs to be opened up, government supervision and guidance urgently need to be strengthened, and the application of hydrogen bike urgently needs the improvement of policies.