Pragma Industries's CEO Pierre Forte rides an Alpha electric bike that runs on hydrogen Photo: AFP/Getty The worlds first commercial electric bike running on hydrogen with only pure water as waste, so its makers claim, has been unveiled in France and already snapped up by the country's post office.
It takes five minutes to charge and has a battery life of 100 kilometres (62 miles) and its Gallic makers claim it is a world first.
The Alpha bike, which hides its hydrogen batteries in its frame, leaves an almost neutral carbon footprint, its designers at Pragma Industries in Bidart, near Biarritz, southwestern France insist.
The bikes battery provides electricity from hydrogen and emits only pure water, Pragma CEO Pierre Forté, 38, told AFP.
This is a world first, he said. A pit stop at special hydrogen recharge ranks only requires a five-minute charge compared to three or four hours for other types of electrically assisted bikes, he said.
Its autonomy of 100 kilometres is also higher than others. All this with a minimal environmental footprint as these bikes are made of up ever more recyclable products," he said.
The charging stations themselves run on solar or wind power to cut carbon emissions as much as possible.
MORE: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11904005/French-unveil-world-first-hydrogen-powered-electric-bike-emitting-only-pure-water.html
(*It's not the first)
Hydrogen: The Next Big Thing.