Green Options » hydrogen fuel

Company Unveils Hydrogen Hybrid Supercar: Available Fall 2008

Nick Chambers — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:35:42 +0000

Well, here it is folks. A company has finally gone and built the controversial hydrogen hybrid system (or hydrogen injection, or Water4Gas or HHO system – choose your poison) into what appears to be a true production car. Not only that, the car looks, well, stunning… to put it mildly.

Ronn Motors of Austin, Texas, yesterday unveiled what they’re calling “the key to a new generation of “green cars.” The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Ronn Maxwell, had this to say about it:

“What we are revealing today is an innovation in the automotive industry and demonstrates American ingenuity at a time of real need. We’re designing and building cars with performance components and unique styling with the objective of making the new environmentally friendly vehicle stand out with never before seen style and approximately 40 mpg plus efficiency.”

I recently featured this type of hydrogen-on-demand hybrid system in a Gas 2.0 post about potential fuel saving scam devices. At the end of that post I had to say that the jury was still out on these types of systems. There was plenty of back and forth from folks who felt that hydrogen hybrids were scams and those that claimed they had installed the devices and they actually worked.

If Ronn Motors has truly built it into a production supercar, and it works, that would kind of put the kibosh on any naysayers out there now, wouldn’t it? Not only would the development and production of this car validate the functionality of hydrogen hybrids, it also could spur a broader public interest and recognition of the technology.

As of right now, it’s only a test car and some of the quotes from Ronn executives suggest they haven’t actually installed a hydrogen generator into the vehicle yet. But as the Hydrogen Cars & Vehicles blog puts it: “Move over Bugatti, Lamborghini and Saleen, the Ronn Motors Scorpion is a supercar that will scoot 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and achieve 40 mpg, too.” I mean, if it’s true, this appears to be an awesome development.

Gas 2.0 Posts Related to Hydrogen and Car Technology:

Image credit: Ronn Motors

Safe Hydrogen Fuel System Using Water Proven and Ready

Max Lindberg — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:06:32 +0000

The young man with his firetruck has apparently done it! He’s created a system that converts water to hydrogen gas that’ll run that fire engine, and your car.

His name is James Hunt, I wrote about him and his invention last year. Now, from his AKVO Energy headquarters in Monmouth, Illinois, James talks about his invention and says it’s ready for manufacture and marketing.

Get Adobe Flash Player to play this audio or download the audio file instead.

He refers to a series of videos he’s produced on YouTube, one of which you can see on my accompanying blog on Gas2.

You can see the series of videos on YouTube .

Safe Hydrogen Fuel System Ready for Market and Your Car!

Max Lindberg — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:11:39 +0000

Put six-gallons of water in your fuel tank and drive anywhere you wish. The only thing you’ll need to replace, is a bit more water.

Last May, I wrote about Jim Hunt, a student at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois concerning his plasmatic induction system that turns water into hydrogen gas to fuel your vehicle.

Today, the system works, and Jim is looking for a company to manufacture and market his invention. His patent is secure, the system is proven and now ready to produce.

The YouTube video above shows Jim and his crew burning a hole in a stainless steel bowl with the hydrogen gas produced by his system.

His workshop is located on four acres of property in Monmouth, Illinois, and Jim says he’s been running cars and an old fire engine around the property using hydrogen produced by his invention. He also runs a 16 KW diesel engine generator with the system.

I interviewed Jim on Planetsave, where he talks about his invention and its future.

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The Perfect Hydrogen Vacation

Max Lindberg — Mon, 21 May 2007 12:34:42 +0000

James Hunt: Register-Mail PhotoYou pull into the driveway, tired after more than 3000 miles on the road, but what a vacation! You loaded mom and the kids into the SUV, and set off for the ultimate family trip: a tour of America.First stop, the nation's capital, then to Disney World, Gettysburg, the Black Hills, Yellowstone National Park, and while you’re in the vicinity, a side trip to the Grand Canyon. You visited a few relatives along the way. You’ve stayed in hotels and motels, camped out a couple of times, and eaten at both fast food restaurants and a couple of four star eateries.The only thing you didn't buy was gasoline. You took the SUV, the gas hog, but you didn’t put one drop of gas in the tank. Let’s see, the price of gasoline is $3 a gallon, plus or minus, and you drove at least 3000 miles in a vehicle that averages 15 mgp. Wow, that’s a savings of at least $600, not bad in this day and age.And, as you sit at the kitchen table adding up the cost of your odyssey, you offer up a silent "thank you" to a young, disabled Navy vet, 36 year old James Hunt who lives in Galesburg, IL, and attends Carl Sandburg College [1].Hunt spent a year and a half working in his garage before taking his new fuel concept project to college officials who liked what they saw, and funded a lab with all the materials needed to continue the work. Hunt formed the CSC Inventors Club [2], and was joined by several like-minded students who developed working bench models of his system.What’s the secret? It's hydrogen gas, extracted from those six gallons of water by plasmatic induction, and fed to the motor as a gas to power the engine. When hydrogen burns, it gives off water, which is fed back to that six gallons; the only thing coming out the tailpipe is hot air. It's all perfectly safe: you'll never re-create the Hindenburg disaster in the car. I know, water in the gas tank, it's been done before but stay with me here...Can this work? Yes. Jim says they have internal combustion engines running on hydrogen gas produced by the energy conversion system in the lab. In June, the students will retrofit a 1991 Chevy Cheyenne 4x4 pickup to begin road testing the system. First they'll tour the Carl Sandburg campus until they receive permission to operate a non-conventional fuel-powered vehicle on city and state thoroughfares.Is anyone really interested? Hunt says the program manager of GM’s (that’s General Motors) Fuel Cell Technology Development Division contacted him, requesting more information. In a story from Galesburg’s Register-Mail newspaper, Hunt told reporter John R. Pullium that three Fortune 500 companies have contacted him, along with several investors and possible sponsors. In his latest communication to me, Jim said he’s received inquiries from individuals concerning expanded uses for the system, such as fuel to generate electric power for small communities. "We have started to take on private investors" he said "to help raise money for research and development of our final prototype". How much would it cost to retrofit your vehicle? Hunt figures about $2000. Will it fit in your car? Sure, he says: just replace your fuel tank with his recovery system, add water and drive away. The only thing you’ll change are some non-lethal carbon rods, about once a year. They’ll cost somewhere in the range of what you’d pay for gasoline in one month of driving.Will it work? Will he get his patent, and will his dream survive the anticipated onslaught from big oil corporations and other interests who’d rather not see this type of energy generation system take hold? In another Register-Mail article, Hunt is quoted as saying, “I’d like to see the world benefit” and added, “I am fearful of the bad guys in the background.” Today, he feels his future is looking up, happy that he’s apparently managed to break the hydrogen safety barrier. Jim has promised to keep me updated on their progress, and we’ll be watching this story very closely, posting updates as they become available, regardless of the outcome. SOURCES:CSC Investors Club BlogSpot: Newspaper Articles [3] [1] http://www.sandburg.edu/ [2] http://maxlindberg.greenoptions.commailto:cscinventorsclub@hotmail.com [3] http://cscinventorsclub.blogspot.com/2007/05/our-contact-information-and-articles.html