Signa's fuel cell-powered bicycle paints a rosy picture for drop-in power stations

Here's a novel concept -- rather than rolling up to a recharge station in the year 2020, plugging your Volt in and reading the latest issue of Esquire while life passes you by, why not swap out a dead fuel cell for a fully rejuvenated one? We can't say for sure the idea will catch on, but it's certainly one that would save Earth-lovin' motorists an awful lot of time. A little-known outfit by the name of Signa is to thank, as the company's new fuel cell-powered bicycle operates using this scheme; riders simply pop in a recyclable 1.5 pound cartridge (where sodium silicide and water mix to create hydrogen power), toss on a pair of Ray-Bans and cruise for 20 to 30 miles. Once that runs out, you can either break out the pedal power or pop in a new cell -- given the right infrastructure, this could one day be as simple as stopping to refuel. In reality, this new bike is just a way to show off the company's technical aptitude, but we're told that it is actually going on sale next summer for an undisclosed amount. Dollars to donuts Floyd Landis already has one on pre-order.