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Yamaha develops fuel cell for scooters

TOKYO - Yamaha Motor Co announced on Wednesday that it has developed a fuel-cell system for scooters. The fuel system's output is 500 watts, roughly the same as the power of a 50cc motor for scooters. The system breaks down methanol into hydrogen, which reacts with oxygen to produce electricity.

Prototype vehicles have recorded maximum speeds of 40km/h, according to a company official. The 20-kilogram test model, with five liters of methanol in the tank, travels about 200 kilometers and performs like a motorized scooter.

In order to bring the product to market, Yamaha Motor will reduce the weight of the vehicle to 10kg and consider a hybrid fuel system using a lithium ion battery to boost acceleration, a weakness of fuel-cell vehicles.

The development of fuel-cell technology in the motorcycle industry is said to lag behind that of the automobile industry. Yamaha Motor's announcement of the development of a fuel-cell vehicle is the first by a motorcycle manufacturer. Honda Motor Co began leasing fuel-cell cars in Japan and the United States last December, but its fuel-cell program for motorcycles remains in the research stage.

(Asia Pulse/Nikkei)

Jul 4, 2003

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