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The strategy adopted by Youon has proven effective, gaining traction among local governments for its hydrogen-powered bicycles. In 2022, the company successfully sold 2,000 units to Lingang, a forward-looking technological district in Shanghai, followed by an additional 500 hydrogen bikes to Beijing’s Daxing district in 2023. Today, Youon’s hydrogen bikes are present in more than six cities across China.
In a significant move to enhance its investment in hydrogen technology, Youon has introduced a home hydrogen generation system that utilizes solar energy and water. Furthermore, the company collaborated with Jiangsu’s local government, where its headquarters are located, to establish a comprehensive set of industry standards addressing safety, hydrogen tank specifications, and other essential aspects. “Hydrogen energy also plays a crucial role in reaching carbon neutrality,” stated Sun Jisheng, Youon’s CEO, during an industry conference in June.
The challenges
Despite this progress, the advantages of hydrogen bikes may not be as compelling as they seem.
According to David Fishman, a senior manager at the Lantou Group, an energy consultancy based in China, he finds it difficult to recognize the benefits of hydrogen-powered bikes. He notes, “The safety aspect may appeal to those cautious about lithium-ion batteries and their storage, but beyond that, hydrogen bikes fall short in energy efficiency and production costs.”
Theoretically, hydrogen offers a higher energy density, suggesting that a hydrogen tank could provide more energy than a lithium battery of the same weight, enabling longer travel distances. Yet, this advantage is only apparent for journeys exceeding 800 kilometers, as explained by Mark Z. Jacobson, a civil and environmental engineering professor at Stanford University.
This means that hydrogen serves better in long-haul transportation such as shipping, aviation, and trucking. Bicycling, conversely, occupies an entirely different niche, where long distances are rarely covered, especially by users of public rental bikes. For shorter trips, battery-powered vehicles are generally deemed more efficient; Jacobson estimates that a battery bike uses only 40% of the energy compared to a hydrogen-powered counterpart while also requiring less storage space.
Additionally, Youon’s hydrogen bikes have not garnered the expected enthusiasm from early users.
One such user, identified only as Gu, from Lingang, shared his experience with MIT Technology Review. He found the hydrogen bikes to be cumbersome and difficult to handle, countering the intended advantage of effort-saving convenience. Gu expressed uncertainty regarding the bike’s operational status and whether its heaviness was due to low hydrogen levels, despite the company’s assurance that bikes with insufficient hydrogen reserves would be inoperable.
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