Swiss electrical bike manufacturer Swizzbee has confirmed it has signed an agreement with Gelsenkirchen-based fuel cell developers Masterflex to work towards delivering commercially available fuel cell bikes for personal transport.

The two firms are understood to have forged the agreement during the recently held international bike trade show in Cologne.

Under the contract, Masterflex will work to develop a special fuel cell system which will be used to provide zero-emission power to Swizzbee's 50cc bike.

Typically, electric bikes powered by fuel cells travel substantially further than conventional electric bikes and Masterflex and Swizzbee are hoping their clean power solutions for the electric bike sector can give them the upper hand in a fledgling, but burgeoning sector.

Plans to put the agreement into action will begin with a series of extensive tests using a joint test fleet which, if successful, will then be distributed across Europe using Swizzbee's existing European distributor network.

The Masterflex fuel cell will produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen over a platinum catalyst.