Since the first motorcycle was built, the two wheel transportation device has had many sources of power, including the first steam powered machines. It was not until World War II that gas powered motorcycles became common place. Now the pentagon is developing a new military hybrid motorcycle that promises to be fast, powerful and silent. By creating this stealth cycle, the government has inadvertently pushed the envelope of alternative fuel motorcycles.
The Hybrid Electric
The motorcycle in development by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will have a hybrid diesel/electric engine. In stealth mode, the bike will run on battery power and make little sound. When the driver needs more power for speed, he can switch over to a special diesel fuel engine. One of the two contractors for the military prototype, BRD, already has many of the cycle features on its commercially available Redshift. The Redshift is a fully electric motorcycle with a top speed of 80 mph and a range of about 2 hours and costs about $15,000.
Air Powered With No Sails
Concept bikes are universally cool but often do not make it to mass production. Trying to repair a concept vehicle, let alone finding inexpensivemotorcycle parts online, can be quite the task. That is why the air powered motorcycle designed by Edwin Conan may be relegated to the cool but impractical file. The machine, known as the Green Speed Air Powered Motorcycle, is the epitome of green technology as it is powered by compressed air. The idea is to have solar panels that can generate the energy to compress the ambient air and store it in fiberglass tanks. The top speed is only limited by the pressure capacity of the tank.
Food To Fuel
Where an air powered bike may not see the light of day, bio-fueled motorcycles most certainly will. Biologically created fuels like ethanol and butanol will either supplement or substitute for fossil fuels. One of the concerns with bio-fuels is the speed that the combustion energy is released. Ethanol and butanol give off a lower amount of energy compared to gasoline. They also require more air intake to run efficiently and can give off increased amount of nitrous compounds with concentrations over 20 percent.
Water Power
Hydrogen cells use catalyzed anodes to liberate an electron from the hydrogen atom. This free electron is used to power an electric motor and the ionized atom reacts with oxygen to form water. Hydrogen cells have become a hot topic for green car manufacturers. Recently California committed to doubling its hydrogen refueling stations. Researchers are now looking at this technology for motorcycles. In the Journal of Cleaner Production, scientist Ru-Jen Lina, Kim-Hua Tanb, and Yong Geng touted this technology as the potential savior for Vietnam’s motorcycle-induced pollution.
