Electric Bikes To Get A Hydrogen-powered Boost, Courtesy MIT Students

In order for widespread electric vehicle adoption to take place, several key issues like the lack of charging infrastructure, prevalent long charging times and range anxiety need to be solved. A workaround for cleaner mobility is hybrid technology, on which an Indian startup is already working, though that isn’t an emissions-free solution either. And that’s exactly what the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Electric Vehicle Team (MIT EVT for short) , a student-run team in America, wants to achieve. Hence, they have joined hands with South Korean EV battery brand Doosan Mobility Innovation.

Before we continue, let’s make a few things clear: hydrogen synthesis happens by two methods. The blue hydrogen process splits hydrogen gas from carbon and is dependent on natural gas, which isn’t sustainable. The other method, called green hydrogen production, uses electrolysis, which separates hydrogen and oxygen atoms from water. Yes, it relies on specialised equipment, but the final product is stored in easy-to-store (and use) hydrogen fuel cell modules.

• Your First Official Look At The Suzuki Burgman Electric
• Gogoro 2 & 2 Plus e-Scooters Homologated In India
• BMW G 310 R Electric Version Incoming

Here’s where the DMI’s DM15 fuel cell module, which can provide up to 1.5kW of power comes in. Granted, it differs from the existing mass-produced examples from firms like Toyota and Hyundai, and hasn’t yet been used in automotive applications. However, DMI’s core expertise lies in fuel cells for drones, so the final product (read: electric vehicle) will not just be lightweight, cheap and easy to both produce and maintain. But that’s exactly the caveat: though DMI’s fuel cell tech isn’t open-source, MIT EVT plans to make its design process open-source, allowing for innovation from just about any company!