NANJING -- A prototype of an innovative folding hydrogen-powered bicycle has officially rolled off the production line in the city of Changzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, according to its developer on Friday.

The bike has a similar shape to conventional bikes, but it's equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell and a low-pressure hydrogen storage device. The cell generates power to drive the bike once its proton exchange membrane receives hydrogen from the hydrogen storage device.

Compared with conventional electric bikes that use lithium batteries, the hydrogen fuel cell features several advantages including a longer service life, and it is more environmentally-friendly as it only produces water during operation.

The new hydrogen-powered bike provides power according to the speed at which its rider pedals. It stops providing additional power at a speed of 24 kilometers per hour, said its developer, the Youon Technology Co Ltd, a bike-producing company based in Changzhou.

The company said the first batch of the new bikes will go into mass production in late March, and it is expected to reach an annual production capacity of 200,000 by 2025.