November 17, 2025 | 08:40 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A team of students and lecturers from the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) in Bandung has introduced a prototype of a hydrogen-powered electric racing motorbike equipped with a battery, named the Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Jawara. "At the moment, the prospect for this motorcycle is for the middle to upper class," said team member Muhammad Zidan to Tempo last week.
The FCEV Jawara uses hydrogen as fuel to produce electricity through a fuel cell. The electricity is then used to power the electric motor, with water vapor as a byproduct.
The team designed the silent engine and smokeless emission vehicle with a futuristic style. Smart technologies used include hydrogen sensors to detect gas leaks and automatically shut off the system in case of potential danger.
The installation of the internet of things (IoT) system allows users to monitor energy usage, gas pressure, and engine temperature through a mobile phone. Other features include a global positioning system (GPS) tracker and radio frequency identification (RFID) card as a security system similar to that in Tesla vehicles. If the motorbike is lost or stolen, the owner can remotely shut down the engine by sending a text message.
The motorcycle was worked on by ten students of the automotive engineering study program, guided by two lecturers from the Faculty of Industrial Technology Education at UPI. The idea stemmed from a hydrogen motorcycle design competition involving 30 campuses in the PLN ICE (Innovation and Competition in Electricity) 2024 event, where the UPI and ITS teams received funding to realize their design. The team took five months for the design phase and three months for the assembly process.
So far, according to Zidan, the motorcycle has been tested on a 15-kilometer road around the city of Bandung and within the UPI campus. The dyno test results showed a power output of 2.4 Hp (horsepower) and 55 Nm. Its calculated range reaches 428 kilometers per two liters of hydrogen. "The maximum speed is limited to 81 kilometers per hour," he said. The speed can be increased to 150 kilometers per hour if the battery power is utilized.
The battery serves as backup power generated from the hydrogen combustion, as well as from regenerative braking, a system that converts braking energy into additional electric power.
When the fuel is depleted, the motorbike can still run using a 48-volt 50-ampere hour Lifepo battery. "With the battery, it can cover a distance of 90 kilometers at an average speed of 50 kilometers per hour," said Zidan. The hydrogen gas tank has a capacity of 1 liter with a pressure of up to 350 bar.
The team claims to have used approximately 80 percent of locally sourced products, while the fuel cell still needs to be imported from Mexico. Priced at around Rp320 million, the motorcycle still needs further development in its propulsion system and reduced weight to make it lighter and more efficient.
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