In Asia and parts of Europe, a major source of pollutant emission comes from the exhausts of gasoline scooters. Scooter is a major form of mass transportation in Asia and has a global annual production of over 25 million vehicles. The development of zero emission fuel cell powered scooters, therefore, is paramount in improving air quality and protecting the environment of Asia.
PEM fuel cell has the inherent attributes of low temperature, rapid startup and high power density. Integration with the safety and convenience of metal hydride on-board hydrogen storage forms the ideal scooter engine. APFCT has developed a fuel cell powered engine that is efficient, zero emission, low noise and mass producible.
Following the first proof of concept fuel cell scooter ZES I, which was successfully completed with APFCT’s assistance and was introduced in April 2000 in Taipei, up to now, APFCT has developed total six fuel cell scooter prototypes ( ZES II, II.5, II.6, III, IV and IV.5) and is working on a fifth-generation scooter model (ZES V). Each fuel cell scooter prototype was produced with engineering advancements for demonstrating technology maturation. The resulting fuel cell scooter engine technology could be considered as ready for vehicle commercialization.
Through the numerous development generations and exhibitions, APFCT has gained worldwide reputation as the leader in fuel cell application to scooters and has received favorable recognitions. The fuel cell scooter has also proven to be an excellent platform for the advancement of fuel cell technology as it may be regarded as representative of a broad class of similar applications.
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