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Zapworld.Com and Enable Fuel Cell to Develop Fuel-Cell-Powered Bicycle

June 05, 2001 by Jeff Shepard

Zapworld.Com (ZAP, Sebastopol, CA) announced an agreement with Enable Fuel Cell Corp., the wholly owned subsidiary of DCH Technology Inc. (Valencia, CA), to develop an electric-assist bicycle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. According to the companies, the goal of the relationship will be the introduction of a commercially available fuel-cell-powered electric bicycle. The joint-development partnership is scheduled to introduce its first units by 2002.

Enable said that it will demonstrate a prototype of an entirely new fuel cell for the bicycle application at the ZAP shareholder meeting on June 16, 2001. The new fuel cell is reported to incorporate aspects of DCH’s higher-wattage fuel cells with the compact packaging of Enable’s family of fuel cells. The power pack is claimed to have more than twice the power of previous portable Enable designs.

“After evaluating the market, we believe an electric bicycle is the most practical near-term application of fuel cell technology,” said ZAP CEO Gary Starr. “ZAP has always tried to be a leader in bringing new ‘Zero Air Pollution’ vehicles to market, and we look forward to working with DCH and Enable to make fuel cell bicycles a reality.”