Big D,
Several people have posted about this over the past 2-3 weeks.
Basicly the cars have devices that can separate the Hydrogen molecules from the Oxygen molecules in water (H2O). Then the Hydrogen (Fuel) is recombined with the Oxygen and intake air for combustion in the engine. Why Hydrogen is burned if recombines with the Oxygen and thus creating water vapor in the exhaust and not hydrocarbon fumes.
Burning Hydrogen in an internal combustion engine is nothing new. The technology has been around a long time and only requires similar conversions that you would need to do if you were convering your vehicle to run on natural gas or LP gas (Propane). The real problem with hydrogen is the pressure tanks can explode like a bomb in a car accident. Also the tanks take up a lot of space and mileage is not that good. I saw one hydrogen mini-van that had about 5-6 big tanks in the back and it could only go about 125 miles. So it used a little gasoline with a small injection of Hydrogen to reduce pollution and still get good mileage.
What does appear to be the breakthrough technology is the ability to extract and separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in water in a moving vehicle. That means you do not have to carry large dangerous tanks of hydrogen. You only carry a large tank of water and generate the hydrogen fuel from that water as your engine needs it.
The other factor is that for service stations to convert to hydrogen would be very costly, while there would be little or no expense to convert their existing gasoline tanks to pump water.
Another problem with hydrogen fuel is that it generates water vapor which requires ceramic coated pistons, cylinders walls and valves and stainless steel exhausts to prevent rust from destroying those parts. The current systems used to covert water to hydrogen an oxygen use a form of electrolytic action that requires the water contain some salt. The good part is that sea water is about 7% salt and is the perfect salt density, and there sure is a lot of sea water! The down side is that the salt acceerates the rust problem.
Once all the problems are solved, hydrogen will be the fuel of choice in nearly all vehicle applications.
...Rich
