Suzuki Motor
Corporation is pleased to announce that the Burgman
Fuel-Cell Scooter has become the world’s first
fuel-cell vehicle to earn Whole Vehicle Type
Approval1 in the European Union.
The Burgman Fuel-Cell Scooter debuted at the 41st
Tokyo Motor Show in October 2009. Since February
2010, Suzuki and British company Intelligent Energy,
which developed the Burgman Fuel-Cell Scooter’s
fuel-cell system, have been jointly participating in
trials of the scooter on public roads under the
aegis of the British government’s Technology
Strategy Board2. The trials are being
conducted in the area surrounding Loughborough
University in central England using a single Burgman
Fuel-Cell Scooter unit. Multiple units are due to be
added.
It was initially necessary to obtain Single Vehicle
Approval for each Burgman Fuel-Cell Scooter unit to
be used in the trials. The newly obtained Whole
Vehicle Type Approval (a pan-European endorsement
reflecting recognition of the Burgman Fuel-Cell
Scooter’s high levels of environmental performance
and safety) means that Single Vehicle Approval is no
longer necessary.
The Burgman Fuel-Cell Scooter is based on Suzuki’s
city-friendly Burgman. It incorporates a light,
compact, air-cooled fuel cell and a hydrogen tank
that’s positioned inside the frame. Electricity
produced by the fuel cell powers a motor for
propulsion; the only emission is water. Suzuki is
working toward commercializing the Burgman Fuel-Cell
Scooter as a motorcycle with superior environmental
performance. Suzuki aims to make eco-friendly
fuel-cell scooters increasingly common in Europe in
line with the establishment of hydrogen filling
stations and other necessary infrastructure.
