Earlier this week, we showed you a motorcycle that runs on solar power, so it’s only fitting that now we bring you news of an electric bycle that runs on water! Developed by SIGNa Chemistry, this electric bicycle is able to run on a single charge for up to 100 kilometers. Impressive, but how is it done?

The technology, developed by SIGNa, is a power cell that uses sodium silicide to drive the bike. When this compound, which is very similiar to gas, is mixed with water, it creates hydrogen gas which is then used to generate energy. Any excess energy is stored in batteries for late use, making the system fully renewable as well as recyclable.

“The extender uses inherently-safe reactive metal powders to produce electric power. By integrating SiGNa’s hydrogen-generation technology with an e-bike, we have demonstrated an unprecedented power solution with no greenhouse gas emissions,” says Michael Lefenfeld, President and CEO of SiGNa Chemistry, Inc.  in a statement. SIGNa’s technology is also directly compatible with most electric bicycle models.

Whereas conventional electric bikes can run for about 50km on a single charge, SIGNa’s bikes can have their batteries easily swapped out and replaced meaning that journeys need not be interupted for lengthy charging periods. However, these fuel cells are not yet avaiable to purchase.

Don’t worry though, there are plans to release the bikes next summer, so if you’re interested, get pre-ordering now!


Via Wired