A new system being developed will add hydrogen to the fuel/air mixture in a conventional gas engine, which can boost your fuel economy by 20 to 30 percent. A hydrogen-boosted gas engine has very little NOx emissions and doesn't cost much to install. The problem is a lack of hydrogen stations to refill your 'tank'.
A new system could solve the problem. It was invented by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and is currently being worked on by ArvinMeritor in cooperation with the German automotive engineering firm IAV. It generates the hydrogen from gasoline, which is then added to the air/fuel mixture.
The energy requirements for the new system are minimal. It requires less energy than a standard bulb at less than 75 watts.
The hydrogen-boost system can be bolted on to an existing system, which means only low costs changes are needed to add this system to existing factory lines. Of course, this system is only a prototype, and many tests are needed before full production is ready. Plans are for full production to begin in 2010.
I saw this story over at autoblog first. The whole article can be read here at auto.consumerguide.com.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Give your car a hydrogen boost
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