InternationalJournalofEnergyScience(IJES)Volume3Issue6,December2013

doi:10.14355/ijes.2013.0306.01

www.ijesci.org

FleetDemostrationofFuelCellScootersin
Taiwan
JoChenLin1,ChuntoTso*2,LaiHoHuang3,ShinChihChang4
ResearchEivision,TaiwanInstituteofEconomicResearch7F.,168,TehuiSt.,Taipei,Taiwan,ROC
BureauofStandards,Metrology&Inspection,M.O.E.A.,ROC
d31682@tier.org.tw;*2d1948@tier.org.tw;3laihohuang@bsmi.gov.tw;4d22383@tier.org.tw

Abstract
Aprogramusingafleetoffuelcellscooterstopromoteclean
energy was run successfully in Taiwan. A total of 110
hydrogenfuelcellscootershavebeenontheroadsince2011.
Thefirstphaseconsistedof30fuelcellscooters(27inTaipei,
andtheotherthreeinChanghua)whichaccumulatedatotal
mileage of 122,769 kilometers by May 2012. The second
phaseconsistedof80fuelcellscootersusedinPingtung,in
the Kenting area around hotels and schools from 201213.
Thelowpressurehydrogencanisterswereeasilyreplacedat
a convenience store and gas station. The project was
monitoredbyanoperationmanagementsystem.Thisproject
wasthefirsttorunandcollectdatafromfuelcellscooterson
the road. It was an opportunity for tourists and local
residents to become familiar with clean energy transport in
theformoffuelcellscooters.
Keywords
Fuelcell;Scooter;Hydrogen;Pollution

Introduction
The global community is facing serious air pollution
and energy shortages; thus the need to develop clean
alternative energy. Serious air pollution is caused by
traditional gasolinepowered scooters in urban areas,
eventhoughabout7millionpeopleinTaiwanchoose
alternative modes of transport everyday. The
developmentofelectricandfuelcellscootersprovides
a means of shortrange transport that is both
environmentallyfriendlyandenergysaving(Shih,Lin
et al. , Yap and Karri 2008, Sripakagorn and
Limwuthigraijirat 2009, Hwang and Chang 2010,
Diloyan, Breziner et al. 2012). It is clear that energy
conservation, carbon reduction, and hydrogen energy
are the best alternative energy options for the new
generation.
Fuelcellscootersarethemostcompetitiveproductin
Taiwan.Whencomparingtheperformanceandenergy
efficiency of gasolinepowered scooters to various
batteryelectricscootersandadvancedfuelcellelectric
scooters, the comparative advantages of fuel cell
electric scooters in terms of energy conservation and

carbonreductionarereadilyapparent.Fuelcellshave
the potential for becoming a power source for new
electricscootersandoffergreaterflexibilityandspace
tomanueverfortheelectricscooterindustry(Tsoand
Chang2003).
Standards need to be developed for the emerging
scooter fuel cell industry. These can be set by data
collected from the Hydrogen Scooter Testing and
Verification Program by which the performance of
fuel cell scooters had been measured and analysed.
Product technology standards and safety regulations
also need to be established. Currently, the
International Standards Organization still does not
hold information regarding the technology standards
for fuel cell scooters. This project will be the first
internationally to collect and analyze technical
informationfromfuelcellscooters(2010,2011).
Hydrogen Scooter Testing and Verification
Program Phase
The main purpose of this project is to collect and
analyze original data from actual journeys and
confirm the relevant technical specifications, to
provide as a reference when developing national
standards. Each scooter must go through specific
testingandinspectionsfromstarttofinishforeachrun;
in addition, scooter performance information, battery
durability and performance degradation records,
objectiveevaluationsbyriders,andrecommendations
for improvement, etc. are regularly focused on as a
reference for revising technical standards. In order to
strengthenrouteandmanagementeffects,thisproject
also established a monitoring center to collect and
monitor driving data. Phase I work completed is as
below:
a. Journey planning: road tests are to verify scooter
performance. While taking into consideration road
trafficsafety,theroadconditionsselectedaresections
with topographic slope changes, and sections in the
publiceyewheretheroutecanbeobservedeasilyfor

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www.ijesci.orgInternationalJournalofEnergyScience(IJES)Volume3Issue6,December2013

Technology and the Taiwan Institute of Economic

Research participated in the implementation and
carried out remote monitoring and management of
driving dynamics. Taiwan has chosen to developfuel
cell scooters and hopes to start a new industry in
Taiwan. This project provides analysis of 20 data
collections,showninTable1.

educationandpromotion.
b.Vehiclepreparedness:atotalof30fuelcellscooters
were used, lowpressure hydrogen storage tanks
providedhydrogenfuel,andperformanceinformation
fromthescooterrunswascollected.
c. Mileage: Each scooter travelled at least 3,000
kilometers, the 30 scooters totalled at least 90,000 km
ofdrivingdata.Inaddition,amongthe27scootersin
theTaipeiarea,9alsotravelledthroughcoastalareas;
each scooter also travelled 3,000 km, a total of 27,000
km.Thetotalmileageofthefulljourneyamountedto
amounttoatleast117,000km.

TABLE1REALSCOOTERRUNDATASTATISTICSANDANALYSISTABLE

1.
2.
3.
4.

d. Driving routes: Considering the capacity and

endurance of hydrogen storage tanks in the greater
Taipei area, four routes with different lengths and
characteristicswereplanned.Inaddition,totestlower
temperatures and assess salt damage, 2 north coast
routeswereadded,foratotalof6routes.

5.
6.

7.

e. Route combinations: The 6 different routes above

were arranged and combined, with different mileage
eachday,buteachweek,eachscooterran,onaverage,
for over 300 km, so that all the mileage verification
wouldbecompletedin10weeks.

8.
9.
10.

The traffic monitoring center (figure 1) database was

designed for the integration and establishment of
information. Data from each scooter was imported to
analysis such as searching, filtering, and grouping to
undergoanalysis,ortransferofdatatobeanalyzedby
analytical software. In addition, data collection and
measurements had to be obtained under identical
conditions,suchasconditions,environment,equipment,
and criteria standards. The system could execute
various search functions such as driving record
searches and downloads, driving team and account
management, multiscooter monitoring, driving team
management and statistical reports. executable query
and download of driving records, team and account
management,
multivehicle
monitoring, fleet
management,statisticalreports,andsoon.

11.

12.

13.
14.

15.
16.

Using traffic monitoring systems developed by

Chunghwa Telecom, the driving dynamics and
desired performance information from each scooter
wasmonitored,managed,andrecorded.Eachscooter
was equipped with a driving recorder and
communication SIM cards from Chunghwa Telecom
to facilitate realtime wireless uploading of data
including scooter run position and fuel cell
performancetotheBureauofStandards,Meteorology,
and Inspection (BSMI) traffic monitoring center. The
National Taiwan University of Science and

378

17.
18.

19.

20.

KeyIndicators
Practice(Scooter)
ScooterPerformance
Dailyprojectmileage
Analyzedbydrivingrecords
Monthlyprojectmileage
Analyzedbydrivingrecords
Dailyprojectmileage
Analyzedbydrivingrecords
Monthlyprojectmileage
Analyzedbydrivingrecords
Measuredoncebeforeandafter
Enduranceanalysis
project
Fueleconomy(constant
Ratiooffuelandmileageunder
speed)analysis(gramH2
constantspeed.
/km)
Fueleconomy(Variable
Ratiooffuelandmileageunder
speed)analysis(gramH2
variablespeed.
/km)
Failure/maintenancerecord
Scooterreliability
analysis
Speed,acceleration,
Riderrecordanalysis
climbinganalysis
Measuredbystopwatchafter
Scooterstarttimeanalysis
starting
HydrogenSupplySystemandFuelCell
Amountofhydrogen
Amountofhydrogenusedand
usedandhydrogenfilling
fillingtimerecords
time
Testoncebeforeandafter
project.Fuelcellsystem
Fuelcellsystempower
includesfuelcellstack,BOP,
density(W/kg)
hydrogen,butdoesnotinclude
electronicpowercomponents,
batteries,andthescooter,etc.
Fuelcellsystempower
Asabove
density(Wh/l)
Analyzingthedrivingtimein
FuelCellrunninghours
thedrivingrecordtableasthe
batteryrunninghours.
Regularlymeasureopencircuit
Voltagerecessionanalysis
voltage
(weekly/monthly/quarterly).
Fuelcellsystemreliability
Analyzethefuelcellsystem
analysis
failure/maintenancerecords
Environment,Route,andFailureAnalysis
Operatingenvironment Taipeiareatemperaturerecords
temperatureanalysis
(CentralWeatherBureau)
Analyzethedrivingrecordsof
Routeanalysis
differentroutes
1.
Failurerate=numberof
failures/numberoftimesa
Failuremodelanalysis
scooterisusedFailurerate=
numberoffailures/total
mileage
Interviewexecutingstaffon
Userinterviewanalysis
ridingexperiences

InternationalJournalofEnergyScience(IJES)Volume3Issue6,December2013

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principle of fuel cells as well as the goals and

objectivesoftheproject,thedesignconceptandmain
features of fuel cell scooters, and standard operating
proceduresforfuelcellscooteruseandoperation.The
driving record table was also designed in order to
understandscooterdrivingconditionsandreasonsfor
abnormalities, and to complete necessary recordsand
maintenancemanagement.
Hydrogen storage tanks filled with hydrogen were
usedonfixedroutesinthecity,recordingthedriving
mileage and hydrogen consumption (difference in
weight before and after). After testing endurance in
the cities (30km/hr), with actual speed maintained at
2535 km/hr, the preliminary test results were as in
table3.

FIG.1EXAMPLEOFREALSCOOTEROPERATION
MANAGEMENT

Thisprojectusesdomesticmadefuelcellscootersthat
mustconformtolightscooters(1.34hp5Hp,speed
45kph,voltage48V)standardssetbytheMinistry
of Transportation and Communications Vehicle
Safety Inspection Standards. At the same time, test
reports from the Automotive Research and Testing
Center (ARTC) were obtained, and the tested items
conformedtothespecificationsinTable2.

TABLE3ENDURANCEANALYSIS

TABLE2:FUELCELLSCOOTERSPECIFICATIONS

Items
Maximumspeed
Acceleration0~30m
Gradeability
Mileage
Mainpowersupply
source
Fuelsupply
Vehicleweight
(empty)

ScooterNo.

Route

Scootercarriedweight(kg)

Test60081
Test60081
Test60043

Shihting
Tamsui
Tamsui

76+18
76+13.5
55

Endurance
(km)
55.1
59.2
68.5

Abnormalitiesreportedinthescooterscanbedivided
roughlyintofuelcell,lithiumbattery(standbybattery),
Fuel cell peripheral parts (BOP, such as hydrogen
pump,airpump,regulator,etc.),scooterparts(suchas
lights, brakes, tires, transmission, etc.), hydrogen
storage and supply (such as hydrogen storage tanks),
etc. Reasons for scooter abnormalities and
malfunctions may be due to more than one factor, so
details are recorded in more than one category. The
detailsareshowninTable4.

Specifications
Over45km/h
Under7seconds
Drivingspeedsofover10km/hon10
degreeslope
Constantspeedof30km/hgreaterthan
55km,variablespeedgreaterthan45
km
PEMFC(netsystemoutputgreaterthan
1KW)
Exchangebelow145psiglowpressure
hydrogenstoragetanks(noexternal
power)

TABLE4STATISTICSANDANALYSISOFDRIVINGTEAMABNORMALITIES
ANDMALFUNCTIONSDURINGPROJECTPERIOD

Lessthan130kg

ScooterAbnormalityCategories
Malfunctions
Fuel Lithium
Scooter
Hydrogen
Roadside
Month
BOP
Cell Battery1
Body/Parts Storage/Supply Assistance
Jan
0
13
0
22
4
4
Feb
0
32
0
13
5
7
Mar
0
23
0
17
2
20
Apr
0
57
1
20
16
19
May
0
0
0
1
1
3
Total
0
125
1
73
28
53

FIG.2EDUCATIONANDTRAINING

Themileageofeachscooterwasslightlydifferent,but
overall, the mileage of each car was around 3000 km,
with an average speed of 20 km/hr in the city, and a
total running time of around 150 hours. The total
running time accumulated in the project was over
4,848hours.

This project arranged for scooter driving education

training (Figure 2). Riders received complete training
andtheriderandscooterswerebothinsuredtoensure
safety during the project. The training includes: the

1 The reasons estimated are that power and energy management

system does not match the habits of general scooter riders, so it is
notlimitedtothelithiumbatteryfactor.

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www.ijesci.orgInternationalJournalofEnergyScience(IJES)Volume3Issue6,December2013

the fuel cell scooters are monitored by the system

control center and can undergo maintenance at any
time.

Thesocalledfuelcellsystemreferstoafuelcellstack
module, which does not include surrounding
components (BOP). According to the current actual
runs by the driving team and each scooter running
around 150300 hours, and passing through the
complexstartstoptrafficandairpollutioninthecity,
orexperiencingthelowtemperaturesofthecoastand
thesaltyair,aswellasthefairandpoorweatherwith
vast temperature differences, fuel cell system failure
andrepairdidnotoccur.Therefore,thefuelcellitself
isareliabletechnologyandproduct.

FIG.4EDUCATIONANDTRAININGLOWPRESSURE
HYDROGENCANISTERSATTHECONVENIENVESTORESAND
GASSTATIONS.

The method is to analyze fuel cell system failure/

maintenance records. If failure is to be defined, it is
breakdownandthenecessityofroadsideassistance.In
the project period the total failure number (roadside
assistance) was 53 times, the total number of scooter
tripswas1,339times,andthetotalmileage(uptoMay
11th)was111,042km(ChunteTso2011).Therefore:

Fuel Fell Scooter Market

Fuelcellscootershavebeendevelopedfortenyearsin
Taiwan. Their manufacturing advantage is that they
rely on a traditional locomotive industrial base, and
the manufacturing environment is already developed
forproduction,withaccesstoelectricalandelectronic
peripheral industries. Manufacturing technology is
mature, the threat from pollution from carbon fuels
has encouraged international manufacturers to invest
in development of the market, and there has already
beenamarketforavarietyofelectricvehicles.

FailureRate(Times/NumberofTrips)53/1339=0.0396
FailureRate(Times/Mileage)=53/111042=4.77X104
Hydrogen Scooter Testing and Verification
Program Phase II

The disadvantage is that the cost of fuel cells is

expensive and we are working to enhance endurance
andreliability.Theinfrastructurehasnotbeenset,the
demonstration runs validation needs to be to
promoted. Grants and promotion will strengthen
internationalfuelcellscootertechnology.Wecanlead
fuelcelltechnologycompaniesintheAsiaPacific,and
China should have a leading role in setting
verifications for technical standards, in order to enter
the market as soon as possible with international
standards.

FIG.3FUELCELLSCOOTERSINBOVERNMENTSABENCYAND
HOTEL.

ThephaseIIfleetdemonstrationprogramwasstarted
in February 2011. There are 80 fuel cell scooters
involved in demonstration riding and data collection
inthePingtungarea.Thecontractwasawardedbythe
Bureau of Energy (BOE) in the Ministry of Economic
Affairs.Theaimofthefleetdemonstrationistoverify
afuelcellvehiclefleetundertheoperatingconditions
and road environment ofactual consumer usage. The
second aim was to validate the lowpressure solid
hydrogen supply infrastructure based on the unit
exchangebusinessmodelproposed(2011).Inthisplan,
notonlylocalresidentsbutalsotouristsusedfuelcell
scooters to go on shortrange journeys. Additionaly,
people can see and ride fuel cell scooters in schools,
governments agencies and hotels. Moreover, it was
convenient to exchange the lowpressure hydrogen
canisters at convenience stores and gas stations. The
successful real situation of phase II fleet
demonstration is shown in figure 3 and figure 4. All

380

Additionally, after the success of the demonstration

program,fuelcellscooterswouldbereadytomarket.
Accordingtoreports,whenannualproductionreaches
100,000 units, the retail price of each fuel cell scooter
would be US$ 2200. When the output increases to
200,000units,thepriceisexpectedtobeaboutUS1730.
Compare with an normal 125 cc scooter, fuel cell
scootershavemarketcompetitiveness(TsoandChang
2003,Hwang2012).
Backstage Planner - Taiwan Fuel Cell
Parternership
Taiwan Fuel Cell Partnership (TFCP) was formed on
the 6th July, 2001. The Partnership continues the
mission of the Executive Yuans Fuel Cell Research

InternationalJournalofEnergyScience(IJES)Volume3Issue6,December2013

around 90100 grams of hydrogen, and rode around

4050 km; the endurance (km/hydrogen weight) 0.53
km/g,fueleconomy(hydrogenweight/km):1.97g/km.

andDevelopmentSociety,topromoteanddevelopthe
Taiwans fuel cell industry. In July, 2001 the
Partnershipwasofficiallyestablishedwiththesupport
of the Executive Yuan (EY) Environmental Protection
AdministrationandtheMinistryofEconomicsAffairs
(MOEA)BureauofEnergy.ThePartnershipcombines
the industry, the government, the academics and
research societies to help promote and develop both
thefuelcelltechnologyandindustryinTaiwan.

(3) The empirical plan is for actual inspection and

product performance, so product suppliers need to
have factory inspection reports with productrelated
performance parameters that can be compared to
performance parameters after this project to facilitate
analysis.

(1) To develop the knowledge and application of fuel

cellinsociety.

(4) Low temperatures (<15C) will affect the

smoothness of the hydrogen storage tanks, especially
after starting, there should be a oneminute warmup
time, and manufacturers can research improvement
methods.

(2)Topromotefuelcellresearchanddevelopment,as
wellasbusinessopportunitiesinTaiwan.
(3) To establish a good foundation and environment
forthedevelopmentoffuelcelltechnologyinTaiwan.

(5) The pairing of the fuel cell and the secondary

battery (lithiumiron battery) and the energy
management system is an important technical level,
andshouldbethefocusoffutureimprovement.

(4) To promote the diversification of fuel cell

technologyandindustryaswellasthedevelopmentof
efficientworkprocessinthebusiness.

(6) Endurance is related to multivariables: riding

habits,theweightoftherider(weightscootercarries),
traffic(startandstoptimes,trafficlights,slope,traffic
flow),weather,andvehicleperformance.

(5) Continue to promote the importance of fuel cell

technology and industry within all industries in
Taiwan.
(6) Leading fuel cell manufacturers in Taiwan to
participate in the exhibition and conference of the
InternationalEnergyorfuelcell.

(7) Internationally there have been improvements in

fuel cell technology, high energy density, and
lightweight, and therefore scooter weight can be
designed to become lighter in order to facilitate
consumereaseofuse.

Amongthesetasks,promotingfuelcellscootersisthe
mostimportantobjectiveinthefollowingphase.
Conclusion

Taiwan has been promoting the development of

hydrogenandfuelcellindustrywiththeguidanceand
subsidies from the government over the last decade.
The fuel cell scooter fleet demonstration plan
succesfully allowed the general public ride scooters
freeintheTaipeiorPingdongcitywithoutrestrictions.
Thecleanwaterfromfuelcellscootersreturningtothe
land shows that Taiwan can become a leading green
energytechnologycountry.

The technical feasibility of fuel cell scooters was

verified in this project; however, undeniably, a
considerable amount of participants, materials, and
efforts were invested in the daily maintenance of the
drivingteam,tofacilitatethesmoothexecutionofthis
project. There are still considerable differences in the
usage scenarios and the usage patterns of general
consumers,
highlighting
the
necessity
for
improvementsmadebythevendorsandalargerscale
empirical project. The technical recommendations of
thisempiricalprojectareasbelow:

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors would like to thank the guide and

cooperation by Bureau of standards. Metrology and
Inspection Ministry of Economic Affaifs, Bureau of
energy. Metrology and Inspection Ministry of
Economic Affaifs, Industrial Technology Research
Institute, National Taiwan University of Science
TechnologyandAsiaPacificFuelCellTechnologies.

(1)Becausemanyjourneyswereathigherspeeds,the
fuel cells were often inadequately charged, even
resulting in the secondary battery low in power, and
causing abnormalities to occur. However, through
accumulation of experience, the average endurance
couldbeincreasedandtheamountoffailuresreduced.
(2) Overall driving team performance: the 27 scooters
intheTaipeiarearodenearly113,500km;eachscooter
carried 2 lowpressure hydrogen storage tanks with

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