H20-Powered Car: Breakthrough or Bull?

Photo courtesy of Tech-On Nikkei.

According to Reuters, on June 14, Japanese company Genepax presented a prototype car that runs on water. No, it's not Moses. The car is said to be fueled by water. According to the company, "It requires a litre of water to keep the car running at 80km/per hour for a period of one hour." The car carries an energy generator capable of extracting hydrogen from water within the car's tank. According to Reuters, the car technically "runs on the electrons released through this process."

TRUE OR FALSE?
Environmental bloggers at TreeHugger and AutoblogGreen speculate that the car's energy generator likely consumes metal hydride while producing the hydrogen. This would in fact make hydride the ultimate source of the car's energy (not water)- a much less efficient and much more expensive process than what is represented in Reuters' clip. Genepax is currently looking for a manufacturer. If the car goes into mass production, the company expects to offer the vehicle at just under $5000. Depending on the true nature of the hydrogen generator, the car will either remain a $5000 marvel or will be revealed as scam with a much higher long-term environmental cost.

Recent Entries:
· Planet 100: Oil Minefield in the Gulf of Mexico
· Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics
· Fake plastic cups make a great conversation starter

[ READER COMMENTS ]

Add your comments...

We kindly ask that you keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Abusive or inappropriate comments or comments that are specifically promotional in nature may be removed.

Your Name: (required)

Your Email Address: (required, will be kept private)

Your Website's URL: (optional)

Would you like us to remember your info for next time?
YesNo

Your Comments: