In the United States, students from the “Massachusetts Institute of Technology Electric Vehicle Team” (MIT EVT) have embarked on the development of a first prototype of a hydrogen fuel cell motorcycle.
At the end of March 2023, the team, which was founded a decade ago, entered into a partnership with the manufacturer Doosan Mobility Innovation to develop a new hydrogen motorcycle.
« Current electric vehicles have autonomy concerns, not to mention the ecological problem of lithium extraction…“, explains the MIT EVT. ” We therefore want to explore the possibilities of hydrogen fuel cells in order to verify whether they are more advantageous than batteries. »
Doosan Mobility Innovation will supply MIT EVT with its DM15 fuel cell module, which has a maximum power of 1.5 kilowatts.
« This module has never been used to power a two-wheeler, so this will be a first! Its compact dimensions and its lightness will facilitate its integration in a motorcycle. By collaborating with Doosan Mobility Innovation, we want to demonstrate the capabilities of hydrogen as an alternative fuel. This initiative can help us build a cleaner planet“says Aditya Mehrotra, an MIT student and project leader.
Although the DM15 fuel cell technology is not open source, the MIT EVT team plans to share much of the hydrogen motorcycle design process online. By doing so, the group of researchers believe it can help and encourage companies to embark on the development of their own fuel cell motorcycles.
In a recent press release, the two project partners also revealed their intention to fuel their vehicle with green hydrogen.