A new patent of TVS Motor, leaked online by an anonymous source indicates that the company could well be planning its upcoming hydrogen fuel cell powered iQube scooter. Given the increasing trend of organisations offering eco-friendly modes of transport, the bike maker is reportedly developing such an advanced technology product.
The leaked patent, basically an image, states ‘A hydrogen-powered scooter ‘Â which is also equipped with a battery pack. In terms of components, the pressure regulator, flow meter, and shut-off valve are installed near the swing arm of the scooter.
The two hydrogen fuel canisters are attached to the front downtube of the frame as per the image and both are linked through a pipe with a filler nozzle on the front apron and the fuel cells are placed underneath the seat. All the components are placed systematically , which means that the company has almost finished developing the prototype.
This patent additionally reveals that there’s also a regular battery pack on a conventional electric scooter, most probably a lithium-ion battery unit, which is easy to remove if required at the time of service.
Regenerative braking may charge the battery pack and the battery pack can also be recharged by the gasoline cell when energy calls are decreased. A fuel-cell version of the iQube, however, could be topped up from a hydrogen filling station in a couple of minutes.
The motor is not visible in a patent image, but the scooter probably features a hub motor, like the current TVS iQube. The existing TVS iQube comes equipped with a 4.4kW motor which is good enough to run 140km as claimed in its ST guise. TVS iQube Electric has 3 variants with prices ranging between Rs 1.38 -1.61 Lakhs.
