Best Inventions 2005: Roll With It

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TOM STOCKILL FOR TIME

Clean Machine
Inventor: Intelligent Energy
Availability: In early 2007, for less than $10,000
To Learn More: envbike.com
The ENV bike looks like a muscular motorcycle but runs more like a moped. Weighing in at 200 lbs., the aluminum bike travels at speeds of up to 50 m.p.h. on its hydrogen-powered fuel-cell engine. Project director Andy Eggleston says that proprietary technology allows the fuel cell to produce more energy than is typical. The ENV runs silently on a 5-oz. canister of hydrogen that costs about $4 and can power the bike for 100 miles. The drawback? California is the only state with hydrogen fueling stations, so filling up outside the Golden State could be tough.
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QUOTES OF THE DAY

Open quoteThe oil industry goes up there and industrializes what has been a pristine area... suddenly it becomes the new Houston.Close quote

  • FRANK O'DONNELL,
  • president of the nonprofit group Clean Air Watch, protesting a plan to drill in the Arctic Circle. Experts say the area could fulfill global demand for oil for three years