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May 8, 2009 | 43
In the newly released budget, the U.S. Department of Energy cuts $100 million from the hydrogen fuel cell program in fiscal year 2010 and transforms its name to "fuel cell technologies." Hydrogen, of course, is just the fuel of a fuel cell—a device that recombines hydrogen and oxygen to produce water and electrical current. Still, the name change distances the Obama administration from the "hydrogen economy" goals of their predecessors.
"We asked ourselves, 'Is it likely in the next 10 or 15, 20 years that we will convert to a hydrogen car economy?' The answer, we felt, was 'No,'" said energy secretary Steven Chu in a briefing on the budget for reporters yesterday, citing the need for better fuel cells and a near complete lack of infrastructure.
Aug 19, 2008 | 26
In a time of rising gas prices (well, actually falling at present but still more expensive than last year), many consumers are searching for ways to cut fuel costs. One eye-catching options appears to be so-called water for gas, turning the H2O from your tap into an endless fuel source.
But you'd better not put said water directly in your gas tank. That's a quick way to kill combustion in your internal combustion engine and earn a trip to the repair shop.
That's not what these outfits are peddling of course. They're selling kits that allow people to electrically or chemically separate the H2 from the O in water and then use said H2 as a fuel additive. And one man in Norfolk has used such a kit to extend the range of his Chevy Avalanche.
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