Electric vehicles are at the forefront of this green move, with manufacturers around the world focusing on more eco-friendly modes of transport. Now, TVS has also chosen to foray into another form of clean mobility – hydrogen-powered scooters – according to a leaked patent document.
The image in the patent shows two hydrogen ‘fuel’ canisters attached to the front downtube of the frame, allowing easy access. The two canisters are connected via a pipe, with a filler nozzle on the front apron. The fuel cell stack sits under the seat, which is where you might find the battery on a traditional electric scooter, making it easy to remove when needed for servicing.
This scooter has a battery pack under the floorboard, the capacity of which is currently unknown. This battery provides additional performance on demand, and also stores energy generated by deceleration or braking. The battery pack can also be recharged by a fuel cell when power demand is low.
While the patent document is scarce in terms of details about the motor, it is likely to be a hub-mounted unit similar to the 4.4 kW in the current TVS iQube. While the iQube is good for a claimed 140km in its ST guise, a fuel cell version can be topped up from a hydrogen filling station in minutes, before stopping for a rather time-consuming recharge.
Like a battery, a fuel cell consists of two electrodes, with an electrolyte membrane in between. Where this differs is that, instead of storing energy, like a battery, and so it needs to be recharged, a fuel cell converts fuel (in this case hydrogen) into electricity by reacting with oxygen from the air.
At present, there are only two hydrogen filling stations in India, one at IndianOil’s R&D Center in Faridabad and the other at the National Institute of Solar Energy in Gurugram. Given the non-existent network of hydrogen fueling stations in our country, it is unlikely that we will get a hydrogen-powered vehicle anytime soon.