Do you know anything about a "Hydrogen Feul Cell"?

Question

We saw an article in the paper today about it - this product claims to increase miles per gallon. We are considering investing in one - but want some feedback first. Cost is approx $149.00

Answer 1

Hydrogen is the perfect companion to electrons in the clean energy systems of the future. But hydrogen is not perfect – no fuel is.

Because of its high energy content, hydrogen must be handled properly, just as gasoline and natural gas today require careful handling. Hydrogen is no more dangerous than other fuels, just different.

Hydrogen-based fuels like “town gas” were used in many communities in the U.S. and are still used around the world.

Hydrogen is made, shipped and used safely today in many industries worldwide. Hydrogen producers and users have generated an impeccable safety record over the last half-century.

Liquid hydrogen trucks have carried on the nation's roadways an average 70 million gallons of liquid hydrogen per year without major incident.

Hydrogen has been handled and sent through hundreds of miles of pipelines with relative safety for the oil, chemical, and iron industries.

Because hydrogen is such a light gas, it is difficult to store a large amount in a small space. That is a challenge for auto engineers who want to match today's 300-mile vehicle range, but some recent vehicles have done it. Researchers are examining an impressive array of storage options, with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) support. Today's prototype FCVs use compressed hydrogen tanks or liquid hydrogen tanks. New technologies such as metal hydrides and chemical hydrides may become viable in the future. Another option would be to store hydrogen compounds – methanol, gasoline, or other compounds – on board, and extract the hydrogen when the vehicle is operating.

Delivery

Since fuel cells convert hydrogen into electricity, the main question on everybody's mind is “Where and how am I going to get the hydrogen to fuel up my fuel cell car?” If auto engineers choose to store hydrogen compounds on board the vehicle, tomorrow's fuel infrastructure would look a lot like today's. Many other options are being explored to deliver hydrogen to fuel cell vehicles (FCVs).

Centralized production and delivery. Hydrogen production and delivery services – including a limited pipeline system – already serve the needs of today's industrial demand.

On-Site Production. The energy station of the future might produce hydrogen on demand from natural gas, other compounds or even water.

Innovative Approaches. Fuel cell products that generate electrical power sometimes come with hydrogen generators called Reformers. An energy station might purchase one of these units, use the electricity for operations and tap into the reformer to produce hydrogen for vehicles.

Power from the sun. The ultimate solution might be solar powered hydrogen filling stations, where electricity generated by the sun (or by a windmill) is used to extract hydrogen from water. This is not as far out as it sounds. Two such stations already are operating in Southern California.

Answer 2

This could only happen in Arkansas, and probably Illinois, New York, and California.  You only have to count the btu's available.  They are not available in water to provide energy to move the car. Sorry.

Answer 3

Not possible...

The one  we have in our possesion at The Phoenix Group cost us $4800, and it isn't even THAT powerfull.  The one used in the Honda FCX Clarity is about $20,000, and it has a 100KW+ output.  Water for gas scams are all too common, and with the exception of our great materials engineering teams at Purdue, there is no LITERAL water -for-gas system available for the consumer, yet.  They couldn't stay in bussines if they sold you Aluminum-Gallium alloy fuel cells for a water-for-gas system.  Now Hydrogen fuel cells area different story.  But like I said, the ones we have aren't THAT powerful, and they're quite expensive.

Is it supplemental to the internal combustion engine already in the vehicle??  Running in tandem?  Where would they install it?  These things things aren't small devices by any means.  You would require a special pressure tank just to store the Hydrogen.  Ours rate 400 gallons, and cost the group about $5,000 a peice.  The hydrogen is stored at approx. -450 F.  See, it boils at about -423 F (~20.3 K).  This is a problem for amny people, but not us, as we spent money to procure the proper equiptment.

     Don't buy into scams that monopolize on the ever-pressent problem of oil cost fo the consumer.  There are good systems right around the corner, like the new Honda FCX Clarity, which is production-ready right now.  They're leasing about 100 of them in california for about $600/mo.  At the moment, we also don't have the infrastructure in place to suppost the vehicles, so unless you have a water electrolyzer, you would have t buy the Hydrogen form someone else, which is spendy.  We produce our own, as part of a research project to validate the possible solar-to-Hydrogen route.  So far, things have gone well, and we are producing so much Hydrogen from solar-powered electrolyzers that we will never have to go to the gas station ever again, if we were to buy a power-cell vehicle...  LOL.  Imagine that.  Deciding NOT to tank up at the gas station; instead going home to tank up for the price of tap water and some table salt (to use as an ionizing agent).  =)

Answer 4

I think it is a fraud. And I think millions of people will shell out millions of dollars for it just like they do for all kinds of fake things. There are so many ways to cheat people, and this is just the latest.

If Ford could put a $150 device in their cars to increase mileage they would do it and have big ads on TV saying how their cars got better mileage than Toyota. But they aren't doing that because it cannot work. It is a scam by small operators who can close up shop and run away when enough customers start complaining it does not work.

Answer 5

It's bogus.  Give the newspaper a telephone call--even they won't want to deal with these people, and certainly not the customers who pay for the devices.  What's interesting is that these things _almost_ work: they use the battery to dissociate water mixed with baking soda in a jar under the hood, and then the hydrogen and oxygen produced is sent to the engine's air intake.  But the process loads down the car's alternator, so the car's gas mileage actually goes down from what it was before the device was installed.

Answer 6

Sounds pretty suspicious to me.

Scientists are working right now to develop a car that runs on hydrogen fuel cells -- but they're not there yet. If you bought whatever this company is trying to sell you for $149, what would you do with it? Would you use it to power your car somehow? Instead of gas? Or instead of the battery? A fuel cell is just a source of power -- but your car runs on an internal combustion engine, not on hydrogen cells. How would the energy from the cell get to the engine?

I think they're selling nothing but snake oil. I wouldn't give them a penny.

(By the way, are you sure it was an "article" in the paper, and not a "paid advertisement"?)

EDIT - OK, I looked at the link you provided. I would still call that an ad, not an article. And I'm still highly suspicious. However, it's your money, and if you want to try this scheme, go for it.