On the local tv news channel they spot lighted a company making a devise to turn your car into a hydrogen hybrid. At first, I thought it was another scam but now I'm not so sure. One of their network affiliates installed it one one of their trucks & went from 9 mpg to 23 mpg. The website only claims about 20 - 30% increase. It cost $ 1200 but with todays gas prices continuing to rise, seems like you would recover that pretty quickly plus it's eligible for federal tax credits. I'm usually pretty spectical on any of these types of devises figuring if they were any good, why wouldn't the car companies use the same technologies to boost sales. But this one has peaked my interest. Anybody want to voice their opinion ? Here's the link to the website : hydro4000.com

How come the places that sell this stuff seem to forget the startup costs, as well as the costs of converting electricity and water to hydrogen?

The company I contract through was trying hydrogen, they had at least half their fleet converted, after a year or so they tore out the conversion plant, and switched the trucks back. It was costing them more than just buying gasoline.

Another thing that seems to bother me that gets forgotten, how is it zero emissions? Unless the electricity is created from nuke, wind, or solar power there will be emissions, making the switch to hydrogen to save the planet pretty much useless.

IDK perhaps I am just getting tired of all the P.C. save our planet crap.

Brad

Brad, this one looks like a "too good to be true" devise. It runs off 12 volts from your alternator & uses distilled water to create hydrogen to use as a supplement to your gas. Like I said, I'm a huge skeptic when it comes to this kind of stuff but the local tv news station that I saw it on is constantly running spots testing new products & other "as seen on tv" crap most of which they dismiss as not working & tell you to "save your money".

this is NOT a hybrid. it is 100% pure internal combustion, fueled by hydrogen.
as long as you use solar (or renewable/free) for the electrolysis - you are golden.

not again.....

Reading through the site, I'm actually impressed so far. Although I still don't really get how they are turning the water into hydrogen.

.

[This message has been edited by JazzMan (edited 12-05-2008).]

quote Originally posted by connecticutFIERO: Reading through the site, I'm actually impressed so far. Although I still don't really get how they are turning the water into hydrogen.

electrolysis. run current thru water, you get hydrogen coming up from either cathode or anode, and oxyegn comes up from the other.
power it with a silly little "charge your battery" solar collector or more, depending on driving needs.

quote Originally posted by red88gt: . It runs off 12 volts from your alternator & uses distilled water to create hydrogen

lets see you do that, make hydrogen with distilled water...

Here's the link - hydro4000.com

I'm usually in complete agreement that this type of stuff is a scam & the only thing that puts any legitimacy to this for me is that it was a featured story on WXYZ tv news tv in Detroit & one of their sister stations had installed it on one of their trucks & their mpg went from 9 to over 20. It uses 12 volts to create hydrogen from distilled water to use as a supplement to the gas. You still burn gas, just less of it.
This station is usually pretty legit & has exposed a lot of these types of scams as worthless. I admit it seems far fetched that's why I brought it up here for discussion . Thanks.

Here's the test link:

http://www.wptv.com/news/lo...e0-acb1-939c4bb13a28

I want to know how they were determining fuel economy.

quote Originally posted by red88gt: Here's the link - hydro4000.com I'm usually in complete agreement that this type of stuff is a scam & the only thing that puts any legitimacy to this for me is that it was a featured story on WXYZ tv news tv in Detroit & one of their sister stations had installed it on one of their trucks & their mpg went from 9 to over 20. It uses 12 volts to create hydrogen from distilled water to use as a supplement to the gas. You still burn gas, just less of it. This station is usually pretty legit & has exposed a lot of these types of scams as worthless. I admit it seems far fetched that's why I brought it up here for discussion . Thanks.

you wont get much if any hydrogen that way with distilled water... unless there is an additive. the mpg from 9 to over 20 is quite a big change, I doubt that is accurate, unless that "truck" is a little 2.0 or something.

I would think distilled water is the only thing you'd want to use. Other than distilled, you'd most likely end up with some type of deposits on the plates that make the hydrogen generator run.

FWIW, our local TV station down in Wichita also put one on one of their vehicles and got similar results as the other station linked. It was on their noon TV show today.

I am honestly considering ordering one. I don't see how a small generator like that can put out enough hydrogen to make much of a difference, but I can see that it could help. Help enough to cover the $1,200 buy in? I don't know. There's probably only one way to find out. I'm a little non-impressed with the idea of having to add water every 200 mile or so, which is how I read their website. I'm also concerned IF it actually makes hydrogen, the quality of their components. I wouldn't want cheap gasoline fuel lines in my engine compartment, and I wouldn't really want cheap hydrogen lines in there either.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by AJ7: You wont get much if any hydrogen that way with distilled water... unless there is an additive. the mpg from 9 to over 20 is quite a big change, I doubt that is accurate, unless that "truck" is a little 2.0 or something.

[This message has been edited by jstricker (edited 05-09-2008).]

quote Originally posted by jstricker: I would think distilled water is the only thing you'd want to use. Other than distilled, you'd most likely end up with some type of deposits on the plates that make the hydrogen generator run.

you are right about the deposits, but it needs electrolytes to work.... regular distilled water may get you a couple small bubbles.... with electrolytes, you'll get thousands.

I am extremely skeptical about this device. If it is legit, it would be a scientific breakthrough that would revolutionize the internal combustion engine. Car manufacturers would start installing water tanks next to the gas tanks in cars. It would make worldwide news. The inventor would be up for a Nobel prize.

Instead, we see it on a local news station with very little data to back it up.

Keep in mind the HHO scam from the 70's that made a similar promise with a similar product. I smell bunk.

If you product AC voltage at a frequency like a few KHZ and at over 100 volts Peak to Peak you can produces more Hydrogen than you need


[QUOTE]Originally posted by AJ7:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by red88gt:

Here's the link - hydro4000.com

[This message has been edited by proff (edited 05-10-2008).]