New hydro car unveiled in Japan

[civic_matic_00]

Water-fuel car unveiled in Japan
http://www.reuters.com/news/video?vi...ideoChannel=74

Jun. 13 - Japanese company Genepax presents its eco-friendly car that runs on nothing but water.

The car has an energy generator that extracts hydrogen from water that is poured into the car's tank. The generator then releases electrons that produce electric power to run the car. Genepax, the company that invented the technology, aims to collaborate with Japanese manufacturers to mass produce it.

SOUNDBITE: Kiyoshi Hirasawa, CEO, Genepax.

Michelle Carlile-Alkhouri reports.

[GasSavers_maxc]

I've been speading that link all over the web myself. I think he adds something more than caustic too the water?

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

Be nice if it's not a scam.... 190 mpg too!

[civic_matic_00]

Originally Posted by RoadWarrior

Be nice if it's not a scam.... 190 mpg too!

they'll find it hard to collaborate with car manufacturers if they're peddling a scam product.

[jadziasman]

Interesting concept. Miniscule power output. Their 300W "powerplant" generates a whopping 0.4 horsepower. I suppose that they could move that golf cart they were using as a demo. Pretty convincing. Next time I need a $25,000 golf cart that only needs water to run, I'll get in line to buy one.

Still - something doesn't quite add up. The basic power generation mechanism of the system is similar to that of a standard fuel cell. The main feature of the new system is that it uses a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which contains a material that breaks down the water to hydrogen and oxygen.

They claim that: they had "succeeded in adopting a well-known process to produce hydrogen from water to the MEA", similar to the mechanism that produces hydrogen by a reaction of metal hydride and water. However the company claims that compared with the existing method, the new process produces hydrogen from water for a longer time.

So, in order for this wonderous innovation to function, an endothermic reaction is required when good ol' H20 is supplied to this magic water splitter to break the H2O bond - creating hydrogen that can be used in their fuel cell.

Endothermic reactions require energy input - where does this energy come from? Apparently their proprietary metal hydride does this? Hmmm, it seems that the metal hydride they use is comparable to Willy Wonka's everlasting gobstopper - it is never consumed itself. WOW! Now that's a neat trick. If not for this miraculous breakthrough you would need a supply of metal hydride, air and water to produce hydrogen - sounds a lot like a "fuel" to me.

Read the following:

Title : Metal Hydride-Air Battery.

Descriptive Note : Final rept. Jun 72-Dec 74,

Corporate Author : ENERGY RESEARCH CORP BETHEL CONN

Personal Author(s) : Onischak,Michael ; Baker,Bernard S.

Report Date : MAR 1975

Pagination or Media Count : 55

Abstract : Portable metal-hydride fueled fuel cell systems, producing regulated 28VDC output at 30 watts and 60 watts, have been built. The systems are easily refuelable with pellets of solid sodium aluminum hydride and water to generate hydrogen. Ambient air, supplied by natural convection, is the oxidant. The energy density approaches 960 watt-hours per pound of fuel. A power conditioning unit provides the regulated output power and logic circuits for automatic operation of the fuel cell systems.

Descriptors : *FUEL CELLS, PORTABLE EQUIPMENT, AUXILIARY, HYDRIDES, ALUMINUM COMPOUNDS, FABRICATION, HYDROGEN, LIFE TESTS, RELIABILITY(ELECTRONICS), SODIUM COMPOUNDS.

Subject Categories : ELECTRIC POWER PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION

[civic_matic_00]

I say one small step at a time. while the car isn't a practical family car, it is however a step in the right direction.

until cars are made of lightweight material like carbon fiber, we won't see any Hummer sized FE vehicles for decades.

I'm just glad to see that there are companies out there willing to dabble with the technology and see how far they can push it. let's face it, until someone tries to do it and improve upon it consumers will never benefit from it.

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

Ahhh, I was just thinking about it in the bath and was thinking metal hydrides would be involved somewhere. Also seems to me that plates will be consumed.

[jadziasman]

Yes there are hundreds of companies out there looking for the next breakthrough. Just one leeeeetle complication my friend - COST!

Why has gasoline and diesel dominated the past 100 years of motoring?

ENERGY DENSITY - YEAHHHHHH BABY. You know what I like!

But, the party's over. Awwww man, it was just getting started and the poor Chinese and Indians just got invited - DAMN!!! Why?????

Trouble is - the black gold or Texas tea just ain't as easy to get any more - costs a hell a of a lot more to find and extract it now than it did 30 to 50 years ago. Used to ooze up right out of the ground - There Will Be Blood - excellent movie BTW.

But even at $135 per bbl, light sweet crude has no real competition. Only competitors willing to pay more and more for it. Hey, I still gotta get from A to B. It's all relative anyway ain't it? $2/gallon @ 20 mpg is the same as $10/gal @100 mpg. All I need is that balance and I'm even steven. They can make a car that gets 100 mpg can't they? OOPS - my bad - COST again!!!!!!

Better still - the Chinese and Indians can have these 100 mpg cars too and we can all use about the same amount of fuel or maybe just a little more. A 2 to 3% yearly increase in energy consumption is sustainable, right? Allows a business man to turn a fair profit, right? Looks like WIN - WIN to me. How's that pipe dream for you - I've got my hash pipe right here, Weezer.

So, I just love the hydrogen fuel cell running off water idea. Back to the future for real - LOL! I suppose you could put a lifetime supply of metal hydride in the golf cart - say 3000 hours worth - then all you would need is 3000 pounds or so of the metal hydride in the golf cart and you could use it for ten years!

But think of the COST! Wowee Wow Wow. Still doesn't add up.

[GasSavers_BluEyes]

This is as bad as the cars that run on "water" by using the water to generate hydrogen, then burning said hydrogen. (bonus points if you add a condenser to the exhaust to recover the water!) Effectively it is a battery powered vehicle and they would all be more efficient if they just ran on the batteries instead. Rube Goldberg might appreciate the extra steps taken between input and output, but the efficiency numbers don't.

[suspendedhatch]

I wasn't sure because of your sarcasm but are you suggesting that there's no such thing as causing a reaction w/out being consumed? Or are you saying that's only the case with metal hydride? I don't know anything about metal hydride but I know of many types of chemical reactions where the catalyst itself isn't consumed, ie palladium in your catalytic converter.

Anyway, when it looks like a normal car and can climb hills and merge into traffic, I'll be interested. I think the hybrid Camry is the best example of what an alternative fuel vehicle should aspire to.