Automotive News / Industry / Future Vehicle Discussion Automotive news and discussion about upcoming vehicles

H20 powered car from Japan.

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 07:12 AM
  #1  
Gripenfelter's Avatar
Thread Starter
Registered User
 
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 3,647
From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
H20 powered car from Japan.

http://www.reuters.com/news/video/po...ideoChannel=74
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 07:27 AM
  #2  
Threxx's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Sep 1998
Posts: 4,320
From: Memphis
This just doesn't seem possible - runs entirely on water with no external input ever other than water??

Surely there must be a big 'con' here or some sort of magic trick or else you'd think something like this would take the world by storm.
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 07:50 AM
  #3  
shock6906's Avatar
Banned
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,577
From: Sandy VJJville
Originally Posted by Threxx
This just doesn't seem possible - runs entirely on water with no external input ever other than water??

Surely there must be a big 'con' here or some sort of magic trick or else you'd think something like this would take the world by storm.
That's what I was thinking too. There's got to be something we're not seeing.
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 08:24 AM
  #4  
ImportedRoomate's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,647
From: Jupiter, FL
Some sort of electrolysis to get the hydrogen from the water? It will take about 13kwh (probably more in real world) to convert 1 gallon of water to hydrogen. That's almost the capacity of the Volt battery. That thing has to have a huge battery that needs to be recharged.
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 08:25 AM
  #5  
Threxx's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Sep 1998
Posts: 4,320
From: Memphis
Originally Posted by ImportedRoomate
Some sort of electrolysis to get the hydrogen from the water? It will take about 13kwh (probably more in real world) to convert 1 gallon of water to hydrogen. That's almost the capacity of the Volt battery. That thing has to have a huge battery that needs to be recharged.
That's what I was thinking but they claim no external input except water. That would be a huge lie if it requires nightly recharging.
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 09:17 AM
  #6  
DvBoard's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 940
From: Southern Indiana
Oh "mythical black box" type of powering huh? I will believe it when i see it.
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 12:13 PM
  #7  
DAKMOR's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,406
From: Philaduhphia
It's hydro-electric dam style power. When you fill it up it goes and starts turning a turbine generating electricity. Then 10- 20% of that electricity is used to power a a pump to recirculate the water back through and start the cycle over and over again, eventually gathering enough energy to use on electric motors to move the vehicle.
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 12:32 PM
  #8  
routesixtysixer's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 669
From: Arcadia, OK
It's the famous perpetual motion machine! It magically turns water to hydrogen with no power required to do so. Um, yeah, I have my doubts.
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 01:57 PM
  #9  
Mikie's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 594
From: Belmont North Carolina.
Im hoping and praying that this will come to pass and not just some gimmick.

This will be the only way gas prices will fall.
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 02:58 PM
  #10  
indieaz's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 915
From: Tucson, AZ
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_23767.aspx

But they're in talks with Japanese automakers about the idea and hope it will one day water down your need to ever visit a gas station
IF this were for real, the article would read:

"Toyota Inc. is currently engineering a vehicle to run on this concept and has already purchased the rights to this technology"
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 03:01 PM
  #11  
jg95z28's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,705
From: Oakland, California
Originally Posted by DAKMOR
It's hydro-electric dam style power. When you fill it up it goes and starts turning a turbine generating electricity. Then 10- 20% of that electricity is used to power a a pump to recirculate the water back through and start the cycle over and over again, eventually gathering enough energy to use on electric motors to move the vehicle.
If that's true, I'm assuming it works on gravity. What happens when you try to go uphill?
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 03:16 PM
  #12  
Jim the Nomad's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 215
From: ********.com
Originally Posted by DAKMOR
It's hydro-electric dam style power. When you fill it up it goes and starts turning a turbine generating electricity. Then 10- 20% of that electricity is used to power a a pump to recirculate the water back through and start the cycle over and over again, eventually gathering enough energy to use on electric motors to move the vehicle.
You CANNOT get more energy out of a system than you put in. It's one of the fundamental features of our universe.

In the system you described, even if there weren't any propulsion involved, you would not generate enough power from the water turbine to pump 100% of that water back through the turbine. Additional power MUST come from somewhere.
I assume that's why they said all you have to do is add water, EXCEPT They didn't mention a turbine.

They said:

Originally Posted by Silly Reuters Lady
"an energy generator takes hydrogen from the water releasing electrons that power the car"
WRONG!

it takes electricity to split the hydrogen and oxygen in water. That's the electrolysis that has been mentioned. You do not gain electricity by splitting hydrogen from oxygen.

You can combine hydrogen and oxygen and get electricity as a byproduct... that's how hydrogen fuel cells work.

In any case, I'm betting that however their system works (if it does work), the price of the energy you use in terms of the potential energy stored in gasoline, is essentially $20 per gallon.

Last edited by Jim the Nomad; Jun 25, 2008 at 03:21 PM.
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 03:27 PM
  #13  
Grape Ape's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 94
Originally Posted by DAKMOR
It's hydro-electric dam style power. When you fill it up it goes and starts turning a turbine generating electricity. Then 10- 20% of that electricity is used to power a a pump to recirculate the water back through and start the cycle over and over again, eventually gathering enough energy to use on electric motors to move the vehicle.
Close. I think it actually dumps most of the water out after it spins the impeller to generate electricity.
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 03:36 PM
  #14  
jg95z28's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,705
From: Oakland, California
Originally Posted by Grape Ape
Close. I think it actually dumps most of the water out after it spins the impeller to generate electricity.
If that's the case, why not just go with squirrels on a treadmill?
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 03:36 PM
  #15  
R377's Avatar
Registered User
 
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,712
From: Ontario
Yeah, undoubtedly BS as is presented. I can see some local news show getting suckered by such a story, but you'd think Reuters would do a little better job on their fact checking.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:49 AM.