subject: Real World Hydrogen Cars [print this page] It is easy to talk about the benefits of a little-known product offering fantastic benefits, and even easier in the online world where anything is but a click away and anonymity is common. People talk of "snake oil salesmen," who sweet-talked people into buying their product, which had dubious benefits, many years ago. Rather than talk ourselves blue in the face about the benefits of hydrogen gas savers, it would be easier for you the reader and us both if we could point to real examples of these contraptions in use, wouldn't it? Well, this is exactly what we intend to do here.
Hydrogen Hybrid Technologies Inc.
Hydrogen Hybrid Technologies is a company which markets hydrogen fuel injection technology. Publicly traded as "HYHY" on the NASDAQ, it is headquartered in Pickering, Canada. Key people include company President Ira Lyons.
In September 2007, Mr. Lyons and HHT announced that the company had secured the exclusive rights to test hydrogen fuel injection technology for one of the largest suppliers of vehicles to the United States armed forces. Commenting on testing ongoing at the US Army testing facilities in Yuma, Arizona, Mr. Lyons says that "The successful testing, to date, has shown fuel savings ranging upwards from 6.5% and has generated considerable excitement at the OEM vehicle manufacturer as well as amongst the Army procurement staff, as well."
The company reports that fuel consumption savings of 10 to 30 percent have been observed in commercial testing. Currently marketing the technology to trucks and other heavy vehicles, HHT announced in August 2008 plans to release this technology to the car and light truck market, reporting that initial field trials were successfully concluded.
HY-Drive Technologies LTD
Hy-Drive Technologies is a competitor to HHT, listed on the TXV Venture exchange as "HGS" and is located in Mississauga, Canada. The company reports that it has 31 patents either issued or pending. According to Hy-Drive's press releases, fuel savings of 8 to 25 percent have been attained along with 6 to 8 percent improvement in horsepower and significant reductions in harmful emissions.
According to studies at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory referenced by the company's website, "The J.P.L. concept has unquestionably demonstrated that the addition of small quantities of gaseous hydrogen to the primary gasoline significantly reduces CO and NOx exhaust emissions while improving engine thermal efficiency." It has been reported that relatively small improvements in the thermal efficiency of the engine (the percentage of energy released by the fuel that the engine can make effective use of) results in larger fractional gains in fuel efficiency - a 4% increase in thermal efficiency can result in a 10% increase in fuel efficiency.
Ronn Motors Scorpion
The Scorpion by Ronn Motors is a high-performance sports car, with a twist. With a top speed of 208 miles per hour and a zero-to-sixty acceleration reported at less than 4 seconds, it emphatically demonstrates that performance does not suffer in hydrogen-enhanced cars. It is in fact the first commercially built car to come with hydrogen fuel enhancement technology standard. When the Hydrorunner is off-line, the car is reported to run at 27 miles per gallon, and with the device in use, fuel efficiency reportedly shoots up to 40 mpg. The fuel injection controller of the Scorpion is programmed to allow up to 40 percent of HHO in the fuel mix.
Conclusions
The three examples provided above all demonstrate that hydrogen gas saver technology (whether called "hydrogen fuel injection" or whatnot, it is the same thing) has attracted real interest from investors and has demonstrated real success. In the case of Hydrogen Hybrid Technologies, the US Army is not only investigating their product but exited about the results of scientific tests, while in the case of Hy-Drive, we see that the iconic Jet Propulsion Lab has backed up their findings. Finally, the Ronn Motors Scorpion demonstrates an actual production car which not only achieves tangible savings, but streaks down the highway in a roar of engine power leaving Priuses choking on its dust.
