Intelligent Energy's 'green' scooter about to hit the roads

An environmentally-friendly scooter, developed by a leading hi-tech Leicestershire company, will soon be seen on the county's streets.

The emission-free Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter was created by Loughborough's Intelligent Energy in partnership with Japanese motor giant Suzuki.

Public road tests for the hydrogen-powered machine are due to take place in the town before being extended to cities, including London.

Bosses at Intelligent Energy plan to initially aim the scooter at the parcel delivery fleet market because ordinary riders have no access to refueling points.

Spokesman James Kennedy said: "There isn't a hydrogen infrastructure in this country at the moment and ordinary riders wouldn't be able to refuel. A fleet would be able to go about their business and then go back to base to refuel."

Intelligent says the scooter can travel 210 miles before needing to refuel, four times further than battery-powered rivals.

A demonstration of the scooter was given to around 60 people, including Suzuki managers and journalists, at the Sir Denis Rooke Building, in Holywell Business Park, Loughborough, last Friday.

The vehicle was given its European launch in London two days earlier and its world launch in Tokyo in October. It follows the company's development of a hydrogen-fuelled motorcycle two years ago, also with Suzuki. It works by converting hydrogen into electricity in a low-temperature chemical reaction – the only by-product is pure water.

Dr Henri Winand, chief executive of Intelligent, said: "The zero-emissions Fuel Cell Burgman scooter is the latest product of the successful commercial relationship between Suzuki and Intelligent Energy.

"Our two companies will soon be releasing details of the first public road testing and demonstration of the Burgman Fuel Cell Scooters, which will begin in the UK later this year."

Intelligent Energy has created an engine for both a Peugeot car and a Boeing aircraft. It also works with Scottish & Southern Energy developing heat and power systems for homes and other buildings.

The firm, which employs 75 people, revealed last year it was to create about 130 jobs because of an increase in fuel cell production.

It began as a Government-funded Loughborough University research programme in 1988. It was spun out into a business by four academics in the mid-1990s before being acquired by entrepreneur Harry Bradbury in 2001.