SiGNa's fuel-cell powered electric bike will run for 60 miles on a single charge. More impressive is that it runs on water.

The bike itself is really just a showcase for the fuel-cell tech from the energy company. The cells uses sodium silicide in the form of a sand-like powder. Add this to water and it "instantly creates hydrogen gas." This hydrogen is then used to generate electricity. Because no hydrogen is stored, the cells are safe, and excess electricity is stored in batteries for an extra boost when you get to a hill. The cartridges are hot-swappable and are fully recyclable.

The main advantage (apart from the safety aspect) is that you can just swap-in a new cartridge when you need it, instead of having to stop to recharge (the units weigh around 1.5-pounds each, less than most batteries). You also get better range: a battery-powered bike typically gets 20 to 30-miles on a charge. The downside is infrastructure: you can find a power-outlet pretty much anywhere in the world. Try finding a compatible fuel-cell in a backwater general-store.

The current units can be designed to put out anything from 1-Watt to 1-Kilowatt. Their futire is probably not in electric bikes but in bigger transportation. Imagine driving your car into the gas-station, popping the hood and swapping in a fuel-cell, just Like Doc Brown drops a tube of plutonium into his time-traveling DeLorean.

Pre-orders for the cells cartridges are being taken by SiGNa. For a bike, you'll probably have a long wait [UPDATE: The bikes will be available next summer]. Full, technical press release below.

Produce High-Pressure Hydrogen From Water [SiGNa. Thanks, Mike!]

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Press Release:

SiGNa Unveils The Most Energy Dense Power Solution For Electric Bicycles Power system produces clean, safe and portable hydrogen power – zero air pollution

NEW YORK – October 5, 2010 – The race to create a hydrogen-based portable power platform sped forward when SiGNa Chemistry, Inc. demonstrated its new ultra-high-performance range extender at the Interbike International Trade Expo. This ground-breaking power platform produces hydrogen gas instantaneously and then converts the hydrogen to electricity using a low-cost fuel cell. The extender creates up to 200W of continuous power; excess energy is stored in a lithium battery for use in more energy-intensive acceleration and hill climbing conditions. A unique attribute is the high level of inherent safety as demonstrated by 3 days of continuous operation at Interbike. The hydrogen is produced at low pressure (50% the pressure of a soda can) and the only emission is water vapor.

For the rider, the extender triples the range of their e-bike with minimal additional weight. Existing e-bikes have a range of up to 20 miles without pedaling; SiGNa’s system reaches up to 60 miles without pedaling for each carried fuel cartridge. The energy density of each SiGNa cartridge is more than 1,000 Watt-hours/kilogram compared to advanced Li-ion batteries at approximately 65 Watt-hours/kilogram. The fuel cartridges are hot-swappable, lightweight (