Pedego, Electric Bikes and SiGNa Chemistry have developed a range extender for electric bicycles; a battery-fuel cell hybrid system that is compatible with all existing Pedego bicycles and batteries.
The range extender has been designed to deliver an additional 700Wh of energy for every 1.5lbs of weight a rider carries, as compared to 350Wh for a lithium-polymer battery at a weight of 7lbs.
The battery within the Pedego – SiGNa hybrid system is utilized for peak conditions such as acceleration and hill climbing, while the fuel cell is used to extend the operating range of a Pedego bicycle by over 40 miles for each additional cartridge, which are real-time hot-swappable.
The range extender also uses sodium silicide to liberate hydrogen from water as needed by the hybrid fuel cell at a very low pressure of less than 30psi.
SiGNa Chemistry vice-president of alternative energy Andrew Wallace said that the Pedego line of electric bicycles provides a unique user experience of performance, style, and comfort and the company is pleased to work with Pedego to extend power usage by three.