Evaluation of direct methanol fuel cell systems for two-wheeled vehicles

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. succeeded in the development of a direct methanol type fuel cell (DMFC) powered motorcycle named the FC-me in 2005. (1) One of these models was leased to the Shizuoka prefecture government office in September of that year. During the course of this leased use a number of changes were observed in the performance of the fuel cell and the emissions, etc. As a result, it was learned that the cycle of starting and stopping had a major effect on the efficiency of the fuel use. In this report we introduce the results of the period of leased use and observations about the ideal format of the next-generation fuel cell motorcycle based on those results.