SEGWAY was acquired by Chinese startup Ninebot in 2015, and their latest two-wheeled concept is the hydrogen-powered Apex H2.
Forget what you may have previously thought about Segway, there are no self-balancing two-wheeled mall-cruisers in sight here. The Apex H2 the latest Ninebot vision for Segway’s future transportation solutions, following their initial concept of the Apex from 2019, and with a hybrid electric-hydrogen powertrain, it’s said to be capable of reaching speeds nearing 93 mph.
With twin single-sided swingarms front and rear to give it the ‘Tron look’ of floating wheels, bright lines and sharp angles, the Apex H2 is as scientifically charged as it is neon bright. The hydrogen is converted into usable electric energy through a special fuel cell, with the powertrain able to rocket you from 0-60 mph in less than four seconds (apparently), with a top speed of 93 mph.
The motor unit will generate around 80 horsepower, but the real question is how long the power can be put out with an alternative power source from the hybrid hydrogen & electric powertrain.
Segway Ninebot Apex H2 hybrid motorcycle - with hydrogen power!
That segways nicely to the fuel source, and pictured with the release are hydrogen canisters. It's no hydrogen goop, but these fuel canisters will seemingly be rapidly swappable, and therefore may give an answer to the now-infamous fuel range issues that are often brought up in electric motorcycle conversations. It’s reported to burn around 1 gram of hydrogen per kilometre - is that good? It sounds pretty good.
It seems that the current quoted price is ¥ 69,999, which works out as around £7,787 - if that’s really the price to buy, it’s a seriously competitive option for future mobility. Although, not sure how Kawasaki will feel if it's called the H2.
We’ll wait and see how it turns out, concepts at this early stage of development may end up changing a huge amount before it actually hits the roads - by then we may be on some alternative road system, like having an electric grid that floats above the road as they have on the dodgems. Has anyone looked into that?
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