Suzuki unveils fuel cell-powered wheelchair
 

Suzuki unveils fuel cell-powered wheelchair
27 September 2006

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Provider: Adfero

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Suzuki Motor has developed a prototype wheelchair which is powered by methanol fuel cells, according to Japanese media reports.

Kyodo News carried details of the new Seniorcar Mio wheelchair, which is capable of travelling 40km.

Running on 4 litres of methanol, the cartridges which contain the liquid are designed to be easily replaceable.

Cited on FuelCellWorks, the reports reveal the wheelchair requires no electric charge, simply using the reaction between oxygen and methanol to generate power.

Suzuki, which will unveil the model at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition centre, said it is currently evaluating the market potential for the Mio.

http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/FuelCel...2,8256,00.html

A wheelchair that gets 25 mpg does not exactly seem cutting edge. Most cars now will do better than that. I wonder what advantages it has over electric.

http://www.gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2006/09/mio.jpg
Suzuki Motors unveils MIO: the fuel cell-powered wheelchair


If you're trying to get away from that gas guzzling wheelchair, but feel a bit awkward rolling in the less-than-glamorous solar-powered edition, Suzuki Motors has got your back. Taking a leap forward from its previous lead-acid battery-powered electric wheelchair, the MIO is a motor-driven cart that gets its juice from an ultra-green fuel cell. The cell works in conjunction with a "large capacity Li-ion secondary battery," and while we aren't certain of how quickly this bad boy can streak down the quarter mile, it can supposedly cruise for 25 miles on a single fill up (four liters) of methanol solution. Aside from the power source, the MIO sports armrests that serve double duty as safety barriers, ergonomic handlebars, a comfortable mesh seating surface, and even an LCD panel that shows such useful data as fuel level and power status. While Suzuki insists the unit is simply a prototype, and refuses to hand out pricing details while it "judges consumer interest," the MIO should still be a bit easier to acquire than the sold out Tesla should it ever hit stores.