Segway is Building a Hydrogen Powered Motorcycle
Segway Ninebot recently revealed plans for an all-new, full-sized electric sportbike promising a 0–60 MPH time of about 4 seconds and a 90+ MPH top speed. Other than the fact that this would be Segway’s first foray into the grown-up motorcycle market, there really wouldn’t be much to say about it — except that there is, because Segway’s upcoming motorcycle will be powered by hydrogen.
Segway Apex H2 | Hydrogen Motorcycle
It’s been a long time since Segway was hyped as a company that was going to change the world and force us to re-think the way we build cities, but that’s what the original stand-up scooter’s inventor, Dean Kamen, would have had us believe back in the early aughts. That, obviously, didn’t happen — but Segway has never given up, shifting its business model to more trendy kick-scooters and hoverboards a few years back and jumping into the e-bike market right before a global pandemic (I know, I know) helped to drive e-bike sales into the stratosphere. It shouldn’t be too surprising, then, to see the company make moves into the electric motorcycle market now, right as it’s heating up.
The hydrogen play, though, is very surprising. In fact, it’s downright baffling — especially as Segway seems to be pushing for its hydrogen to be stored in hot-swappable, refillable canisters (the soda can-looking deals on either side of the fairing). Where and when the canisters would be filled remains a bit of a mystery, but if Segway can convince a company like Shell or 7-Eleven to carry them, I guess that might be something?
Segway Swappable Hydrogen Canister
As a motorcycle, the bike promises to offer a rigid frame and an innovative single-sided suspension with a single swingarm front and rear. It’s a bit like the James Parker-designed RADD suspension that was supposed to revolutionize motorcycle design back in the 1990s … before it didn’t. The illuminated wheels, too, seem to add a very desirable, futurrific vibe to the whole thing.
But … hydrogen? I get the appeal of wanting to be able to very quickly refuel a motorcycle with a limited battery capacity much more readily than I understand range anxiety on a car that can go 300 miles on a charge, but hydrogen seems like several steps in the wrong direction. Did Segway get this one wrong? Scroll on down to the comments section at the bottom of the page and let us know what you think.
Source | Images: Segway, via Ride Apart, Visor Down.
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