Analysis of the Use of Recycled Aluminum to Generate Green Hydrogen in an Electric Bicycle

This article proposes using recycled aluminum, generating hydrogen in situ at low pressure, to power a 250 W electric bicycle with a fuel cell (FC), to increase the average speed and autonomy compared to a conventional electric bicycle with a battery. To generate hydrogen, the aluminum–water reaction with a 6 M NaOH solution is used as a catalyst. This article details the parts of the generation system, the electronic configuration used, the aluminum- and reagent-loading procedure and the by-products obtained, as well as the results of the operation without pedaling, with a resistance equivalent to a flat terrain and at maximum power of the accelerator for one and two loads of about 100 g of aluminum each. This allows us to observe different hybrid strategies, with a low-capacity battery in each case. The goal is to demonstrate that it is possible to store energy in a long-lasting, transportable, low-pressure, and sustainable manner, using recycled-aluminum test tubes, and to apply this to mobility