Herten, May 28, 2006. 11:00 a.m. on the dot: NRW Transport Minister Oliver Wittke and Herten's mayor Dr. Uli Paetzel started the world's first round trip with fuel-powered bicycles in Herten, North Rhine-Westphalia. At the same time, the Hybike bike station was inaugurated, where ten fuel cell bikes from Gelsenkirchen-based Masterflex AG will be used for guided bike tours.
The minister and mayor were delighted with the innovative bikes, which now make climbing hills or riding against the wind child's play. This is because the electric bike is equipped with an electric auxiliary drive that is supplied with energy via the integrated Masterflex fuel cell.
45 grams of hydrogen, stored in metal hydrides, lead - at the same weight - to a fivefold higher range of the bicycle compared to conventional battery solutions and thus enable new areas of application for electric bicycles.