Suzuki’s Hydrogen Scooter
The Japanese factory has been continuing its research into the viability of a hydrogen-powered scooter – and there’s a new patent to prove it.
Suzuki’s filed some fresh patents which reignite the rumours that there’s a production hydrogenpowered Burgman on the way.
Every few years there’s fresh news that Suzuki’s been working away on its hydrogen fuel cell solution for its scooters, and a new patent application filed in Germany confirms that the Japanese factory hasn’t given up on the green alternative to electric.
We’ve been talking about the hydrogen Burgman for 12 years now, since it was first revealed at the Tokyo motor show way back in 2009. It was essentially a rolling concept, and the following year it underwent testing on British roads. It must have been a success because in 2011 it was approved for use.
But then things went quiet for a bit before it was again revealed to the world (this time at the EICMA show in Milan) in what looked like its finished form. At the time we were expecting to see the futuristic scooter make it to market – but once again, Suzuki disappointed by appearing to shelve the project for the immediate future.
Then in 2017 the news broke that
Suzuki had partnered up with the Metropolitan Police, providing them a small fleet of hydrogen Burgmans to use over the course of 18 months. We thought that was a sure sign that things were moving forward with the project, even if it was for commercial rather than consumer use. Things went quiet again. Until now. The news has just broke that Suzuki’s filed a fresh patent in Germany for a hydrogen fuel cell powered Burgman – and although it’s a little different from the previous designs, concepts and rolling test scooters we’ve seen, it seems that Suzuki’s been quietly working away on a new variant of its green machine.
There’re numerous similarities to the hydrogen Burgmans we’ve seen before, with the new patent showing the same basic frame construction (with the hydrogen tank under the footwell), but that’s where the similarities end. Back in 2009 the water-cooled drive was fitted to the rear wheel. In 2011 it was a wheel hub motor without a cooling system. In 2014 it was another drive variant (basically a drive unit swingarm) – while the hydrogen tank had been shuffled back a bit, the lithium-ion battery sat above it and an air-cooled fuel cell sat at the back. And that’s essentially the version that Suzuki manufactured for the Met Police to use for its 18-month trial.
But it seems that Suzuki’s not quite satisfied with that set up, because it’s filed some fresh patents which change the configuration once again. The pressure tank for the hydrogen sits a little closer to the front wheel, while the energy storage above is designated as a secondary battery – but the big news is that the motor and swing arm are now one single unit. They form a single-sided swing arm with an integrated, aircooled wheel hub motor.
The patent also details the location of the filler neck which sits in the footwell, and highlights a number of the control units for the hydrogen tech, which are located between the battery and the significantly smaller fuel cell. There’s also a safety device with a tilt sensor (important for hydrogen operation), which is located just behind the front wheel. Whether or not this is the version of the hydrogen Burgman that makes it into production, it's great to see Suzuki’s still quietly working away on its fuel cell technology. The Japanese factory clearly thinks its a viable alternative to battery-powered bikes.