Can You Use A Green Energy Source Like Water To Power A Car?
For more than a century, we rely on oil to fuel our
cars. But did you know that the world’s oil is close to drying up
because it is a nonrenewable resource? Well that may not happen tomorrow
or next year but we are getting closer because of the demand in the
world market. Why wait for that day when we can rely on a green energy
source like water to power our cars.
Water can power a car? If you think that’s impossible, well it is
already here but this is not yet being made on a commercial scale.
The German automobile BMW has produced the world’s first ever hydrogen
powered car. While only 100 of these units were produced, you can
already imagine if more of these vehicles are on the road.
The initial model namely the BMW Hydrogen 7 uses the body of the 760i
model. Once you pop the hood, you will notice that the engine is
different since it uses gas and hydrogen.
This just means we have not yet totally abandoned are dependence on gas.
Given more time and money, the current 4.7 miles per gallon it can
travel using water alone could hit double digits in the future.
The biggest challenge to using water as a green energy source as opposed
to oil in vehicles is the engine. While there are cars around like the
Prius which runs on electricity and gas thanks to fuel cell technology,
the hydrogen combustion is less than 10 years old so you could say we
are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
To prevent the water from evaporating, this has to be stored in a large,
30-gallon, bi-layered and highly insulated tank so this does not
evaporate into compressed gas. Another safety mechanism is the valves
which are designed to open should the pressure within the tank exceed 5
bars.
With the success of the BMW H7, the company came out with a new car that
is also partly powered by water known as the H2R. While we cannot yet
put our garden hose into the fuselage to fill it up, this vehicle uses
liquid nitrogen as a fuel.
Tests on this vehicle have shown it can achieve 285hp and reach a top
cruising speed of 185.5 miles per hour. It can also accelerate from 0 to
60 miles per hour under 6 seconds.
But why use water? It is because hydrogen combustion is clean so it does
not emit harmful gases into the atmosphere unlike cars that run on
petrol or diesel that emit carbon monoxide. Studies have shown that it
also weighs less than hydrocarbon-based fuels and burns faster than
conventional gasoline.
So when can you expect to buy a car that uses water as a green energy
source? Hopefully in the next 10 to 20 years. It is really up to the
automakers because all we can do is wait until a better and clear car
hits the dealership.
Right now, the best option we have are electric cars. Since its
introduction in 1999, more people are using it because they don’t want
to spend anymore for gasoline that could hit an all time high of more
than $110 per barrel.
If water as a green energy source can be used to power a car, why don’t
we do the same for solar power which has been around much longer?
About the Author: D. Benjamin is the owner of
iapsales.com LLC - a family business specializing in HVAC products. We
are distributors of
Qmark Heaters,
electric tankless water heaters,
bathroom heaters,
patio heaters, electric heaters, portable air
conditioners & electric towel warmers. Shop online at
www.heateroutlet.com for these great home improvement products.
Iapsales.com LLC was established in 2003 and is the sister company to
Innovative Air Products located in historical Exeter, NH. We are a 2nd
generation manufacturers’ rep firm dedicated to providing residential &
commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment. We offer
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