United Nuclear is selling a Hydrogen Fuel System Kit that will allow you to convert your existing car to run on hydrogen. It's not for sale just yet, but they promise that they're "currently fleet-testing our systems and are in final preparation for sales to the general public." If they ever do manage to perfect this, I'd buy it. I'd love to never have to worry about going to a gas station again. But I have serious doubts that United Nuclear really does have a system like this nearly ready for sale to the public. 
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Of course it would only be an advantage for commuters since you can't go far from your homemade source of hydrogen. Another problem would the by-product of combustion. Hydrogen + oxygen = H20. The inside of your cylinder heads would rust overnight. You would have switch over to gasoline for a minute or so before shutting it off each time. So you would still be partly dependent on gasoline.
No mention of a patent either. Shades of Lifewave Energy Patches.
I can think of no reason why a hydrogen/petrol hybrid should be any more difficult to do than a LPG/petrol hybrid. As LPG is butane (C3H8) or propane (C4H10), most of the problems should be the same. I can't comment on the storage front.
Use of solid oxide fuel cells is currently being investigated by many companies as a means of generating electricity or hydrogen, so one of these could be used to generate the required hydrogen from water.
My opinion is that the system is technically feasible, although not necessarily practical yet. However, with the price of petrol being about
"And this system will even allow you to switch between the two instantly? I don't believe it."
Some cars converted to propane can switch between the two fuels so that could be true.
Assuming it's real, another problem is:
" As an example, it takes over 2 days of our generator running at full power, 24 hours a day, to fill our smallest 'short range' tank."
What effect will it have on your electric bill? They don't say how many kilowatt hours it takes to make a given amount of hydrogen. The extra electricity used may be more than the price of gasoline.
With the possible exception of their storage system, this whole thing is possible. Whether or not it is practical is another question.
Still, creating hydrogen is an energy losing proposition. Water is a stable molecule, and more energy is required to convert it to hydrogen and oxygen than can be recovered by burning the resultant gases, or by using them in a fuel cell. Solar or wind power just doesn't cut it. You can't generate enough to matter. If they've found a revolutionary way to generate hydrogen cheaply and easily (which I doubt), then that alone should make them rich. If they haven't, then it'll cost more in electricity than you save on gasoline.
Solar and wind power can generate all the electricity you could possibly want. (After all, solar power runs the entire biosphere of Earth, so running a paltry setup like a worldwide electrical grid pales in comparison.)
Assuming, of course, that you have enough collectors. Which means vast fields full of solar panels or wind turbines. Truly massive devices arranged in rows of thousands.
It would be a pretty good way to provide electricity for home usage, assuming you have several hundred square miles set aside for the collectors (which usually isn't a problem in most parts of America). You just can't put a solar panel on the top of your car and expect much.
If you want to use solar or wind power to run a car, you have to have a massive elctrical grid system to plug the car into. Back to the rechargable battery problem.
I don't believe a standard car engine can safely burn hydrogen, either. I seem to remember something about a Hindenburg...
On a side note, Bob Lazar is one very ugly man.
We have quite a lot of those here, and they spoil the landscape. And they make a hell of a lot of noise too.
As for the Hindenberg, watch the NOVA program about it -- the fabric was doped with a highly flammable substance, but they didn't know that at the time.
Still hydrogen acknowledgedly is highly explosive, with or without the Hindenburg. Never done those funny hydrogen experiments during chemistry lessons on high-school? Kaboom!!!!!
As someone that has built their own electric vehicle, and helped others convert cars to electric, I can tell you conversions will probably never save the amount of money they cost to do for the average driver. Well, not until petrol is a lot more expensive.
Even using now very off-the-shelf and common EV components, you only just break even, and that's if you get excellent range out of your batteries, and you do all the conversion work yourself.
Having vehicles made right from the start suitable for the fuel is the only way to really solve it. And manufacturers are building Hydrogen cars, they are only test models for now.
The big TBD problem is the cost of the hydrogen converters. They are generally pretty damn expensive. There are better proposals to use biological/chemical means to make hydrogen than to split water using hydrolysis.
One person I helped convert a Porsche to electric also install grid connected solar panels on his house. The 1.5kW panels will pay for themselves in about 5-8 years (looking more like 8 at the moment). They are on his roof and you cant see them at all really. They generate electricity during the day(when the grid needs it most) and he charges at night(when there is surplus) and the amounts generally balance out. So, you could say he is running a zero emission car.
Could all this be done with hydrogen. Yes, it can. You can convert your engine to run safely on hydrogen, but is runs really hot and generally isnt a great solution. Is it economically and environmentally the way to solve it?
No, not by a long shot.
In short, you need some big government/industry/consumer changes in thinking to avoid a big economic meltdown when demands finally outstrips oil supply, which is estimated to be in 10-15 years time. One off conversions are for hobbyists only.
Couldn't possibly spoil the landscape as much as having to go to war and kill a hundred thousand Arabs every six years or so. Which is where we are now with oil.
As far as solar panels go, they are useful in certain situations but I have never had the energy costs explained clear enough. Doesn't it always cost more to create solar panels than you will ever get from them? Something to do with entropy I believe? There ain't no free lunch.
Well, we'll see what the future will bring.
http://www.bmwworld.com/hydrogen/h2r_racer.htm
http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=cfeb17de-d945-4db4-87a6-090911200e96
The process is taught in many grade and high school classes.It is a simple form of electrolesis.A small battery and some salt water is all thats needed.I know this as I have ran my truck(a '96 ford150)on it for the last 6 months.Ther has been no damage caused by using H2+O1.In fact my milage has not only gotten better by 40%,but my spark plugs burn cleaner,My engine is now free of carbon buildup,and when I passed a laser EPA van my report showed 25% less emissions.I am in the process of building units capable of producing enough H2 continously for the average automobile.Tell me if $200 is too much for this advantage.It is a simple hookup to any car,any model.Look for BROKEN WATERS,Thanks, Rich
1.) Regulation of the hydrogen so that it is manufactured at the same rate of usage, not too much lingering around to be a pressure/explosion hazard, not too little that the engine hesitates on acceleration.
2.) Engine DOES need to have stainless steel valves, not a problem for newer higher end American made vehicles.
3.) Catalytic converter removed from syste (no need anyway as byproduct of hydrogen combustion is water vapor
4.) Mufflers fill up with water and exaust system needs to be made stainless steel
Most of these problems can be avoided simply by just running a gasoline/hydrogen hybrid. It supplements the gasoline with hydrogen, and you can boost your milage by 10-50% depending on your hydrogen generator design.
It is definately out there....You're obviously on the Web this far, just open Google and search "Hydrogen Generator" "Water Engine" and soon you'll be on the right track.
Yes Santa Claus, there really IS a Hydrogen powered car from water! :D
Anyway, United Nuclear is completely real, I have ordered many things off of it including chemicals and equipment. I know someone who ordered one of the radioactive kits as well.
As for their hydrogen system, I have great faith that they will optimize it and have it ready for the public. As of when, I do not know, but it is a great idea and deserves respect.
-cyroxos.net
http://youtube.com/watch?v=d7ZZAfZnvog
NOBODY THINKS THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!
It is very possible, and has been done many times. Nobody is denying that. The point we're trying to make (that everyone ignores) is that it costs more in the long run to produce the hydrogen then it does to produce the gasoline. Until the cost of hydrogen production drops to a comparable level with gasoline it's not cost-effective to switch over. The energy to produce that hydrogen has to come from somewhere, and right now that ultimately is still oil. It takes more oil to produce the hydrogen then it does to produce the gasoline.
Until bigger and more efficient solar, wind, or even nuclear plants are built, or a drastically more efficient method of hydrogen production is devised, it's simply not going to save us any oil to switch our cars over to hydrogen.
http://www.bmwworld.com/models/745h.htm
Several other manufacturers are working on such projects as well. While I will acknowledge there are some differences of opinions about range of travel, the concepts are at least real.
As for whether the use of chemically bonded hydrogen vs liquid hydrogen is feasible, I would point out that stored in a liquid state would require extremely low temperatures (over 200 degrees F below zero) which would pose problems for long term storage of fuel in the vehicle.
This would make it impossible to mix the hydrogen with pure oxygen. The storage system he is selling is real, although I would think in a normal vehicle it would run a car for about 5 minutes. The fact is, the only real solution is to work harder on the electrolisis generation. It is the only safe method of transporting hydrogen, as water on-board the car. I have had great luck producing hydrogen with electrolosis to run lawnmowers and a motorcycle(250 cc) But nothing like a car yet.
I saw that someone was concerned about engines rusting from the inside. First, engines now are generally made of aluminum. And, second, you're forgetting about the fact that pistons a cylinders are lubricated with oil which will prevent rust. Last, the heat in the combustion chamber and exhaust system will be enough to dry those parts enough that they would rust any more than they do today.
And, for the person who mentioned the Hindenburg, you'd better study a bit more science that play virtual reality games. Science has proved that the Hindenburg fire started from a spark igniting a very combustible component in the paint covering the skin of the lighter-than-air ship (the same component used in NASA's solid rocket boosters!)not from the Hydrogen.
If you would bother to Google "hydrogen for cars" you would see that Californis already is using Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles and has a map of all the refueling stations, and expects to have a state-wide "Hydrogen Highway" by 2012. You also find that Honda already has both a Fuel Cell Hydrogen car (the FCX) and A car with a Hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE). Also, that GM and Dow teamed up in a joint venture to produce Hydrogen cars and distribute hydrogan for those cars world-wide.
It is coming, folks! Hybrid cars in 5 or less years will be obsolete.
Tom (MA Engineering, MBA)
This means that, as it stands now, gasoline is more efficient than hydrogen. Until this changes it's not going to do the average person any good to convert their cars. Hydrogen fuel cells are an attempt to produce hydrogen more efficiently, but they're very expensive to produce and maintain as well as still not equalling gasoline's efficiency.
Note that I still feel hydrogen research is desirable, even by 'garage researchers', but that doesn't mean that I'm blind to its faults like so many other people seem to be.
... Its just what caused it lift. Anyways.. Modern hydrogen systems are more safe to use than a typical gas engine. Why? Because there is not hydrogen stored in any form other than in the gas lines.. Your fuel tank is only a water tank... If your not for us, your against us.. If your not helping to bring hydrogen tech to the mass, your working to keep it from us and dooming us to a lifetime of being slaves to big o
You know, something other than "Dude..? Are you like really R'Tarded or something?".
Here is the major thought of mine on the subject....How is it that companies with virtually endless supplies of research and development money (regardless of who they are) that employ chemical engineers and mechanical engineers by the thousands, that supposedly understand all of the current theories concerning the trades, can't come up with the kind of scientific results as a Brown's gas torch salesman can?
Something else to consider: Everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon and be a nay sayer trying to explain how EXPENSIVE it is to use electricity to generate hydrogen.....
First of all, when was the last time the alternator in your car or truck sent you an electric bill?
OK I know....the next thing somebody is going to tell me is that your vehicle only has one alternator.....and that is does not make enough power to decompose water into hydrogen to run a car......
How many WOULD it take? Two? Three? Five? Ten? Twenty?....Hmmm let me see, I think they might go as high as 200 amps each or is it more?
If a belt can turn the pully on one alternator, couldn't it pull two....etc? How many?
Ok so now I'm going to hear that it is too big of a drain on the engine to run multiple alternators to power numerous batteries.....
So who ever said it had to be driven by the motor?
Two wheel drive vehicles have 2 extra wheels that are not powered......does that mean that an extra 2 wheels with gear ratios modified to drive the alternator/generators?
If you think you can, or think you can't, generally speaking you are correct. If you're waiting for the right opportunity to do it, waiting for the right day, waiting for Uncle Bob and Aunt Jane to go home.....you'll be waiting forever and it'll never get done.
Don't die with the hope for mankind in you silent, it might be you,YES YOU that holds the key to last piece of the puzzle....DO IT TODAY!
Alternators don't just provide free power, it has to come from somewhere else first. In a gasoline powered car the gasoline is burned in the engine to provide mechanical force, which drives the wheels. This mechanical force is also used to drive the alternator. No engine = no alternator running = no electricity.
Now, you might argue that an engine burning hydrogen would also provide mechanical energy that can be siphoned off to run an alternator, and you'd be right. You could even chain many alternators together to provide enough electricity to break the hydrogen out of water. But that requires a lot of mechanical power. So much so that you wouldn't have any power left over to actually move the car.
In fact the problem is even greater than that. Right now there is no way to get more power out of water via hydrogen than is required to get that hydrogen in the first place.
If this isn't clear then let's try an extremely simplified example.
You want to produce 100 units of power by generating hydrogen from water. Unfortunately since this is such a difficult process it turns out that it requires 120 units of power to produce that 100 units of hydrogen power. That's right, every time we produce 100 units of hydrogen power we consume 120 units of fossil fuel power, or the equivalent. That's a net loss of 20 units. More or less, this is in no way meant to be an exact demonstration.
It simply requires more hydrogen to electrolyze all that water than you get back from it. It's an energy sink.
If you can figure out how to produce 100 units of hydrogen power with 100 units or less of conventional power then you've got something.
That's the goal people are working toward. Until that goal is reached hydrogen will require more energy to run your car than gasoline, which is rather counterproductive.
Link here to the video... http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g307/imaaronhall/?action=view¤t=MVI_0127.flv
Link here will take you to page with many links to others who use this method and to Inventor's videos (before he died from poisoning) where he teaches how to make this water fuel cell... http://waterfuelcell.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=416
This process is NOT Electrolysis. It is 180% out of phase with Electrolysis. Is exactly the opposite of Electrolysis. Produces much more power that is required to produce the hydrogen. Does so with tap water and no additives.
Naysayers never get anywhere, except nowhere.
In the Middle Ages there was a chess-playing machine that beat many human players, even some very good ones. The games were public and watched to make sure that the owner of the machine wasn't making the moves himself. He wasn't. It wasn't until much later that the midget inside the machine was discovered. He was an excellent chess player.