Hydrogen Power Blog

Ben Franklin


With the ever-rising price of fossil fuels, it’s no wonder alternative sources of transportation, such as the hydrogen powered car are getting new look. Cars that run off hydrogen, rather than gasoline, are cleaner for the environment, don’t deplete a precious resource and they are not a far off invention.

The hydrogen car’s potential implications for the environment, economy and even politics make it an interesting idea. These cars just might be the answer to getting around without wasting a precious, limited resource. And, they just might help stave off environmental issues as well. But, what are hydrogen cars and how do they work?

A hydrogen car is simply one that relies on hydrogen rather than gasoline for power. There are two basic types: combustion and fuel-cell conversion. Both are currently in existence, but neither have been moved into full-scale production for a number of reasons.

The combustion engine is similar to what is used in most automobiles now. It simply burns fuel to create power. Combustion engines already in existence can be modified for hydrogen burning.

Fuel-cell conversion, on the other hand, uses the hydrogen and turns it into electricity. This electricity provides the power for the engine’s electric motor.

No matter the process, though, the byproduct of combustion or fuel-cell conversion is simply water. Rather than ozone depleting fuel, what’s left behind is nothing more than good, old fashion H2O.

Adding to its environmental friendly stance, hydrogen is more or less a renewable source. It comes from the decomposition of methane or can be gleaned from water. Inasmuch, its only byproduct is water vapor. And, unlike fossil fuels it is fully renewable.

Despite its potential, hydrogen cars have not been moved into full-scale production for a number of reasons. The world’s dependence on oil is a strong one and it will be hard to break. Entire economies depend on its production, processing and sale, so making the switch to hydrogen will be difficult at best.

In addition to a resistance from oil producers, auto manufacturers, too, must get on the bandwagon before this will become a reality. They are, however, beginning more and more to research and develop cars that run on hydrogen. The engines involved in modern cars can in fact be converted to burn hydrogen.

One of the biggest problems with switching to all hydrogen is a problem with storage. Car fuel tanks need to be better developed for this as would “hydrogen stations” where drivers can refuel. In addition, more study needs to be done to increase the miles per gallon hydrogen vehicles can muster.

Although much work still needs to be done to replace gasoline-based cars with hydrogen models, the idea is more than feasible. In fact, with gas prices soaring, it’s looking more and more like a real possibility these cars will someday rule the roads. Already there are cars, buses, trucks and even rockets that use hydrogen for their power to some extent.

Peter Johnson


Everybody has heard of hydrogen fueled cars. The price of gasoline keeps getting higher these days and most believe that the days of cheap gasoline are dead and gone. Everybody is looking for a viable alternative and hydrogen seems like it may be the most logical choice. Since about 70% of the planet is covered in ocean, it looks like we have enough hydrogen to go around.

You probably first think of hydrogen cell vehicles when you think of hydrogen fueled cars, but actually hydrogen cell technology is still far from perfected and not available on the market as of yet. Sure, the ads are on TV and you may have even seen a hydrogen cell car on the road, but these are not yet available to the general public and even if they were they would not be anywhere near affordable. In the meantime, there is an old patent that has recently been dug up that may give you a short cut to saving money on gas.

The hydrogen car kit is an old patent that actually turns your car into a water hybrid. All you need to do is add a few small components (essentially, some baking soda, electrical wiring, a fuse, a vacuum hose, and a sealed, quart-sized glass jar) to your vehicle to enable it to run on both gasoline and water and possibly even double your gas mileage. Here’s how it works: first, you build a device that you can put together with items you can buy at a local hardware store and add water. Then, you attach this device to your cars battery and engine. The device uses a little bit of energy from your battery to transform the water inside the device into a gas called ‘HHO’ which is two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. This gas, also known as Water-Fuel, Brown’s Gas, or Hydroxy, provides a lot of power, burns clean, and it’s only byproduct is water.

The easiest way to figure out how to convert your car yourself is look online. A quick search will turn up dozens of websites that can show you how to convert your car. Though there are a few that want to charge you extravagant amounts for the information, you can get just as good information for much cheaper and the parts you need to pick up at a hardware store will only cost you about $20. Some mechanics out there know how to convert cars into hydrogen fueled cars, but they’ll probably charge you about $300 or more to do it and it’s also very hard to find a mechanic that knows how to do the conversion.

Conclusion

Who isn’t interested in saving money on gas? The increase in the cost of fuel affects every facet of the economy and we’re all feeling the pinch from every angle. By converting your car, you’re steering yourself in the right direction towards the future. Hydrogen fueled cars are a great way to save money and help preserve the environment in one fell swoop.

KnottedBrain asked:


The byproduct of hydrogen is water, right? Water is H2O and can be processed again to make hydrogen gas, can’t it? I guess this follows the law of conservation of energy, except with hydrogen it’s simpler?