It's rocket fuel!
Considered today to replace fossil fuels in aeronautics or automobiles, hydrogen is now used to propel bicycles of a new kind.
Pragma, a company specializing in the construction of hydrogen fuel cells, has been working since 2013 to develop hydrogen bicycles.
Based in Biarritz, it is the only one in the world to mass-produce and market this type of bike.
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Belonging to the family of electric vehicles, hydrogen bicycles differ from conventional electrically assisted two-wheelers in the way the energy is generated.
No battery, but a fuel cell that converts hydrogen stored in a tank placed under the handlebars into electricity.
No greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, only a few drops of water and a little heat.
Despite its 30 kg, the bike can reach 25 kilometers per hour without forcing it and can travel around 150 kilometers on a single charge, which is in the high average range of bicycles with a battery.
But unlike this one, recharging is very fast: the hydrogen tank fills up in just two minutes at a suitable terminal, compared to several hours of charging for lithium batteries.
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More ecological
The hydrogen bike is also more ecological than its cousin equipped with lithium batteries: the life of the fuel cell is three times longer than the batteries, it is much better recycled and contains 1000 times less rare metals.
A low environmental impact therefore, provided that green hydrogen is used, that is to say produced without fossil energy.
And this is where the problem hits: the production of the majority of hydrogen today consumes natural gas and uses processes that are sometimes polluting.
A situation that the French government wants to change thanks to an investment plan of nearly 9 billion euros for the production of carbon-free hydrogen by 2030.
For the time being, the “Alpha neo”, its second generation of bicycles, is available for rental this summer from around ten rental companies in France.
Pragma / Photo press
"
I'm always told of hydrogen as the energy of the future when in fact it can work today
," says Pierre Forte, president and founder of Pragma, a company specializing in hydrogen fuel cells that markets since 2017 hydrogen bikes.
For the time being, the “Alpha neo”, its second generation of bicycles, is available for rental this summer from around ten rental companies in France equipped with charging terminals, such as in Azay-le-Rideau in Indre-et- Loire, Aix-les-Bains in Savoie or Porticcio in Corsica.
"
We have good feedback from rental companies who have ordered a fleet of our bikes.
Today many are struggling to manage the batteries of their fleet of electric bikes.
You often have to put them all to charge at the same time in the middle of the day, and some have to leave half empty.
The recharging of hydrogen bicycles is much faster and therefore easier to organize
”, pleads .
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Available for long-term rental in 2023
A third generation of bikes with improved autonomy and longevity should be marketed by the company in 2023, which wants to offer them for long-term rental from individuals.
"
We plan to deploy a network of charging stations next year in Montpellier, Toulouse, Nantes, Bordeaux and in the south of Paris
," says the founding president.
Individuals will be able to buy a model (around €5,000) or subscribe to a long-term rental (€89 per month for a 4-year rental with maintenance included and unlimited hydrogen at the terminals).
