Startup, Electriq Global claims the new fuel will offer a range of 1000 km with 5 minutes of refuelling as compared to battery-powered electric vehicles
Electriq Global, an Australian-Israeli startup has developed a water-based fuel that claims to offer a safer, cleaner and cheaper mode of an electric fleet. The fuel extracts hydrogen from its 60 per cent of water to power an electric vehicle. The tech startup claims that it will offer a greater range with lower cost. Guy N. Michrowski, CEO, Electriq Global says, “Our technology brings dramatic news of improvement in driving range, refuelling time, cost of fuel and changes the rules of the game in transportation and energy storage”.
Electriq Global system
The new technology contains three elements – Electriq Fuel, Electriq Switch and Electric Recycling. The water-based electriq fuel reacts with the electriq switch to release hydrogen on demand to capture the spent fuel. It is then taken for replenishing with hydrogen and water for elctriq recycling. The startup claims the process will enable zero emissions.
EV range
In comparison to lithium-ion batteries or compressed hydrogen technologies, Electriq~Global claims to achieve twice the range at half the cost. The energy density is up to 15 times that of electric batteries currently in use in vehicles like those of Tesla. The electric-fuelled electric buses will be providing a range of 1000 km. Refuelling duration is expected to be around 5 minutes. This differs from battery-powered electric buses that offer around 250 km range after 30 minutes of recharging.
The startup will be showcasing the new recyclable fuel to power electric vehicles at the EcoMotion 2018 ‘Smart Mobility Summit’ in Tel-Aviv.
