Run Your Car On Water - Myth Or Magic?

By Lesa Crosby

Researchers are going into overdrive looking for new ways to fuel our cars, which includes experiments on technologies that claim you can run your car on water.

There's no doubt that the most brilliant scientists in the world have to come up with a solution to our over priced, limited supply of fossil fuel. Green house gas and tightly controlled emissions programs are fueling research into using simple water as a possible fuel source. In America, we use the equivalent of an Olympic-sized swimming pool in fuel every 15 seconds. Driving is part of our culture, but if we don't do something to save the planet and reduce fuel costs, what culture will there be?

This urgent need to find a way to fuel our beloved automobiles in a green way has been fertile ground for unscrupulous shysters. Conversion kits abound on the internet and skeptical bloggers say they make very little difference in fuel economy, if at all. Hucksters claim the big oil companies don't want you to know about alternative technologies, yet these days with information available with the push of a button, it's very difficult to squash the flow of data.

Man has always looked for new ways to use water. Almost 30 years ago, American inventory Stan Myer used just 22 gallons of water to drive a dune buggy from Los Angeles to New York. He proved that vehicle engines could use water and a source of electricity to create Brown's Gas, which is a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen. He patented his water/hydrogen fuel cell technology but didn't live to see it become popular.

Since that time, videos of Myer have been used to give credibility to weak products on the internet. One sales pitch claimed that your vehicle could be converted in just 40 minutes by your neighborhood mechanic for around $120.

Having said that, one can't completely dismiss Myer's findings. Since the early 1880s, the oxyhydrogen torch, fed by an oxygen and hydrogen mix of gases, has been used in welding. However, like the oil that water hopes to replace, it needs refining. Scientists need to find a way to generate enough power, which a car battery doesn't provide at the moment.

Yes, Myer patented his hydrogen fuel cell and clearly had success with it before his untimely death. Inventors have used electricity and even radio waves to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen, using the applications to drive small engines.

If any type of water is going to make a splash on the alternative fuel scene, it just may be water from the ocean. The effect of radio waves when exposed to salt water, created tremendous energy in an experiment conducted by John Kanzius of Pennsylvania. He was looking for a cure for cancer when he discovered that breaking the bond of hydrogen and oxygen in sea water created a white hot flame. Energy unleashed!

Scientists in Ohio asked to see his findings. Their skepticism turned to delight as they saw for themselves the tremendous potential. The energy certainly had the potential for many applications, such as desalinating sea water but especially for powering an automobile.

Kanzius story is that of the great American inventor who stumbles upon an incredible new finding while looking for something else.

In a bid to go "green", the world may just be going "wet" in the years to come. - 30204

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