Truckers Choose Hydrogen Power
 

Old article but shows that HHO generators have been saving fuel for quite some time now.

https://www.wired.com/cars/energy/news/2005/11/69529

Stephen Leahy 11.15.05
Hundreds of semitrailer trucks zipping along North American highways are now powered in part by hydrogen. These 18-wheelers make hydrogen as they go, eliminating the need for high-pressure, cryogenic storage tanks or hydrogen filling stations, which, by the way, don't yet exist.

These truckers aren't just do-gooders. They like Canadian Hydrogen Energy's Hydrogen Fuel Injection, or HFI, system because it lets them save fuel, get more horsepower and, as a bonus, cause less pollution.

"We're saving $700 a month per truck on fuel," said Sherwin Fast, president of Great Plains Trucking in Salina, Kansas. The company tried the HFI system on four trucks and has ordered 25 more.

"Drivers like the increased power and noticed there is a lot less black smoke coming out of the stacks," said Fast.

HFI is a bolt-on, aftermarket part that injects small amounts of hydrogen into the engine air intake, said Canadian Hydrogen Energy's Steve Gilchrist. Fuel efficiency and horsepower are improved because hydrogen burns faster and hotter than diesel, dramatically boosting combustion efficiency.

"You get more work from the same amount of fuel," said Gilchrist.

This is not a new idea. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology published research on the uses of hydrogen as a combustion-enhancing agent in the early 1970s. But the ability to make hydrogen on the go is novel.

The sticking point for hydrogen has always been getting it. Unlike crude oil, natural gas, wind or solar energy, hydrogen doesn't exist freely in nature. It costs $5 a gallon to make hydrogen from natural gas.

But the HFI system uses electricity from an engine's alternator to power the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen as needed from small amounts of distilled water.

"That's a big advantage and a bit of a novelty," said Venki Raman, an expert on hydrogen-energy applications who started Protium Energy Technologies.

HFI's manufacturer guarantees 10 percent fuel savings, which likely won't interest car companies or consumers, Raman said. But a reduction of pollution emissions could spur broader use.

Trucks with the HFI system produce half the amount of particulates -- microscopic, unburned bits of diesel. The system also reduces nitrogen-oxide emissions, which are major contributors to harmful air pollution, by up to 14 percent, according to Canada's Environmental Technology Verification Program.

The HFI units are relatively small and cost between $4,000 and $14,000, depending on the size of the vehicle.

"It looks like a good transition technology to hydrogen fuel cells, which are still at least 15 years away from commercialization," said Raman.

It will take at least until 2040 before fuel cells begin to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the National Hydrogen Association, Gilchrist pointed out.

"We vehemently disagree with governments picking the fuel cell as the single path to a cleaner environment," he said.

Gilchrist recently argued just this point in meetings with California officials, who are considering buying prototype fuel-cell vehicles that will cost more than $1 million each. That money could buy many HFI systems, which would provide "300 times" the air-pollution reductions of one fuel-cell vehicle, he said.

Sounds like the same effect diesels get from propane injection. The onboard HHO generator of course makes it more convenient.

10% is pretty impressive really considering that..

Efficiency of large diesel engines is nearly double that of gasoline engines.

A 30 tonne truck getting 7mpg is getting the equivalent of about 105mpg compared to 2 tonnes of car.

Back in my trucking days I used to love to point out to the people complaining about the "pollution" effect from big rigs that they would have to tow about 40 cars behind them to get the same mileage as a 40-ton rig.
It really shut them up, and back then I was only getting about 6-8 mpg. A lot of them do much better nowadays. Add hydrogen for another 10%...my brother inlaw spends $4000/week on fuel. Hmm.

HHO generator works. I put on ford taurus94, surbarban 96 and both got better mile and cleaner emmission. The surbarban was misfiring and smell came out of tail pipe till HHO generator instration.

yep, there's a lot of articles out there proving HHO generators work. a lot of the naysayers simply just don't do the due dilligence in looking for the facts.

I am still trying to prep my car for an HHO kit but eventually I will build mine and slap it on the ol civic...goal is to get at least 60 mpg.

civic_matic_00 -

I have read that diesels are "naturals" for HHO. Since they like to go lean by design, the HHO kit is easier to implement (i.e. no 02 sensor spoofing needed).

Also, as others have already said, some kits are being sold primarily for their emissions benefit. For instance, if you are using a diesel engine for on-site construction, you may have to worry about emissions compliance. HHO retailers claim that their gizmos can help you reach compliance *and* get better FE as a side benefit.

CarloSW2

Careful of emissions claims only, that means they are NOT selling greater fuel efficiency or standing behind being able to do so....

Black smoke comes out when they inject more fuel than the air intake can burn - remember the throttle on a diesel is controlling only the fuel being injected not the air and fuel combined. If they didn't push the fuel pedal down so far they wouldn't burn with so much black smoke.