You might think this is an electric bike at first glance, but it in fact features even more novel technology. /VCG Photo

A French startup, Pragma Industries, has become the first company to start factory production of hydrogen-powered bicycles. /VCG Photo

The firm’s Alpha bike can run for about 100 kilometers on a two-liter tank of hydrogen. It takes minutes to fill the tank, much less than to charge an e-bike battery. One kilogram of hydrogen holds about 600 times more energy than a one-kilogram lithium battery. /VCG Photo

At 9,200 US dollars for the bike and 36,000 US dollars for a charging station, the bikes are too pricey for private use, so Pragma Industries is targeting the sharing market. According to the firm, it has sold around 60 Alpha bikes to French municipalities, and is planning to produce 150 more this year to meet demand from the US, Germany, Spain, Norway and Italy. /VCG Photo