In the motorcycling world of 2022, digital displays and rider aids are everywhere. While large OEMs contemplate the next generation of adaptive electronic rider aids to enhance safety on the road, they’re certainly not the only ones that are doing so. Take this 2022 Red Dot Design Concept Award winner from Shanghai X-Idea Industrial Design Company. XCELL is its name, and heightened rider safety powered by hydrogen is its game.
Design concepts exist in a space where any- and everything is still possible—as long as it can be visualized. Arguably, that’s why we prisoners of the real world often find ourselves disappointed by the production versions of highly-regarded concept machines, once they finally come to fruition. While there’s no telling when or if the XCELL might pass through the veil and into the real world, it’s definitely the kind of design that would be difficult for a production vehicle to live up to.
That said, it’s still a magnificent thing to behold. Its creators envision it as a hydrogen-powered machine, with a range of approximately 200 kilometers (124-ish miles), and a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour (or 124 mph, give or take). Its only emission would be water, says X-Idea Industrial Design Company.
Gallery: Shanghai X-Idea Industrial Design Company XCELLHydrogen Concept Bike
XCELL riders could fine-tune the riding triangle to suit their specific ergonomic needs. The handlebars, footpegs, and saddle are electronically adjustable, with sport, leisure, and comfort presets to suit various riders and conditions.
X-Idea also envisions an intelligent active safety system for riders, which involves a wearable device situated on a rider while they’re operating the vehicle. Rider aids that X-Idea mentions specifically include night-vision assistance, holographic projection technology, and blind bend prediction that allows bike and rider to effectively see around corners while riding.
While it’s unclear when or if this design might ever see realization in the real world in any form, it’s still an intriguing design to contemplate. The slight Z-shape of the vehicle pays homage to what we think of as a motorcycle, while simultaneously resolving itself into something new. Where will it go from here? The only two options are somewhere and nowhere—so we’ll be watching its evolution with interest.
