Water for gas system: Good marketing, shoddy science

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« Back to Bumbershoot: The crowd goes wild | Main | Joe Shikany R.I.P. »

Water for gas system: Good marketing, shoddy science

With gas prices still high at $3.96 a gallon, Seattle drivers might find themselves seduced by a Web site getting lots of attention today for peddling a do-it-yourself system that promises to improve your gas mileage by as much as 50 percent - with tap water.

But consumer beware: As Scientific American assures - unless you've got a hydrogen car, the science just isn't there.

By adding more H2 it is possible to extend the gas mileage of a vehicle. But only under certain conditions. Most internal combustion engines, which, after all, are highly engineered pieces of machinery, are tuned to specific fuels (which is also why premium gasoline won't deliver benefits to an engine not designed for it). Although BMW and others have designed cars that can switch back and forth from burning hydrogen to burning gasoline, most cars aren't that capable. And any savings on fuel must be carefully weighed against the cost of the kit, which can run to thousands of dollars for an electrolyzer - a machine that splits water with electricity (which is also rising in price, by the way).

A couple of TV reports are "fueling" excitement about the water-for-gas system - like this report out of Norfolk, Va. So who do you trust? Scientific American, or ...?

Posted by at August 19, 2008 7:00 p.m.
Category: From the Internet

Comments

#167437

Posted by Ted Fleming at 8/19/08 7:22 p.m.

Does George Bush have friends in the water industry?

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#167472

Posted by mmbb at 8/19/08 8:58 p.m.

Water injection used to have limited and marginal usage in older turbocharged engines, primarily to reduce the air-fuel temperature mixture in order to (help) prevent knocking.

For now, though, I'll stick with those fancy magnets attached to my fuel line that polarize and align the gasoline molecules, that "vortex" device that increases intake air turbulence and improves the air-fuel mix, and dropping a few mothballs into each tank of gas to boost the octane. Do not attempt this at home or with your own vehicle. ;)

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#167554

Posted by unregistered user at 8/20/08 7:44 a.m.

"dropping a few mothballs into each tank of gas to boost the octane"

Does that work? The major ingredient in most octane boosters is toluene, along with a small portion of minerial oil for lubrication. One can get the same results by buying a gallom of paint thinner (acetone or toluene)and adding some of that to each tank of fuel. A little bit goes a long way.

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#167559

Posted by unregistered user at 8/20/08 8:06 a.m.

I have read a copy of the water2gas manual, the original patent on this concept was issued back in 1910(?), and was used on the bigger WW2 bombers for extra take-off power, it may sound like another gas-saving gimmick, but this one actually works if constructed properly.

Does anyone remember the naptha+water mixed fuel that was approved by the EPA about 10 years ago? After a million mile test being run by the State of Nevada, using their state motorpool fleet, the EPA approved it for general on-road use, using up to 50% water. Since we have such a oil shortage, why aren't we seeing any of the big oil companies offering this to the general public as a more affordable alterntive fuel?

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