China Launches Electric Bicycles That Run on Hydrogen

China has doubled down on limiting air pollution, introducing several environmentally-friendly measures for this purpose. One of these measures includes the normalization of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) in the country.

However, the nation seeks to take it a step further by standardizing Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) vehicles. As per a recent report, the country has launched a service called YouOn based on HFC-powered bicycles.

Reports suggest that these bicycles have been developed in-house and are currently only offered in Changzhou urban city area in the Jiangsu province.

Initially, only 1000 bicycles are available at a rental price of 2 Yuan per 20 minutes, which equates to Rs. 56 per 20 minutes or around Rs. 170 per hour. According to a YouOn spokesperson, the bike provides a ‘best in the industry’ fuel range of 70 kilometers and can go up to 23 kilometers per hour.

The hydrogen-powered motor is mounted under the cyclist’s seat. The spokesperson further highlighted that these bikes are more environment-friendly and economical than electric bikes and that the company aims to build about 10,000 more bikes for a countrywide launch to effectively reduce the carbon footprint.

The key selling points of this bike are its amazing range and its pocket-friendly rent price. However, being HFC-powered transportation devices, these bikes require a comprehensive refueling infrastructure to function properly. Therefore, even though they seem to be appealing products, their utility is limited to a select few markets in the world.