It’s a Car, Man – That Runs on Water!
Time and the Associated Press are reporting a story about a Pakistani engineer who claims to have invented a water-fueled car. That would definitely be science fiction becoming science fact right before our eyes (if it’s true).
From the story:
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani officials who have failed for years to fix the country’s rampant energy shortages have latched on to a local engineer’s dubious claim to have invented a water-fueled car, sparking criticism from experts who bemoan what the episode says about the sorry state of the government.
Excitement over the supposed discovery has been fueled by sensationalist TV talk show hosts, who have hailed the middle-aged engineer, Agha Waqar Ahmed, as a national hero and gushed about the billions of dollars Pakistan could save on oil imports.
Okay.
But while a water-fueled car would be cool (it’s not a freaking jet-pack people!), I can’t seem to get the sound of Hyde’s voice out of my head. (From That 70′s Show)
“I’m telling you. The government has a car that runs on water, man…”
(check it out after the cut)
What do you think? Water-fueled car yes or no?
Tagged with: water car
Filed under: Humor
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Hey, I’m still waiting eagerly for cold fusion. I’ll believe anything. Sort of.
Cold fusion– that’a the real Pakistani secret. Or a micro Tok w/ an EM bottle.
The reason thee is so much water is burning hydrogen releases so much energy 2 H2 + 1 O2 -> 2 H20. It takes more energy to dissociate water back into hydrogen and oxygen that you got by burning it. So you aren’t going to energy that way.
Electrolysing water into Hydrogen and Oxygen tahes energy from somewhere. Stroring hydrogen can be dangerous. (hydrogen burns very readily. BUt th energy had to come from somewhere. Hydrogen power cells can work catalytically and with less danger. These are nothing new. They were used as far back as the APOLLLO program. The trouble is, you need an energy source to split the water and you are getting less energy back.
pmreichold: True, but a solar panel on the car that splits water and stores the hydrogen and oxygen for later burning would work. You’d have to keep the input tank filled with water, and wait for it to build up enough usable fuel to get where you need to go.
It wouldn’t be terribly practical in many places, but if you live somewhere where there’s little power infrastructure for charging and maintaining the large batteries in electric cars, and little money to build an infrastructure for hydrogen distribution, a solar-powered hydrogen-fuel-cell “water” car might make sense in spite of the drawbacks.
I would make the solar panel/hydrogen+oxygen storage tanks system modular so you could pop it out. If you’re well off to the point that you can afford a second one, you’ve got your own at-home fuel generation.
This car sucks (runs on air) http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/08/26/2351221/tata-intends-to-sell-air-powered-car-in-india