The vegetable oil thing is [old] but I haven't heard of running your car on water. Is there a way to combine the two and have ultimate fuel efficiency? We're an engineering school, we should be on top of this. Maybe the kids at UNC will do better.

http://runyourcarwithwater.com/

http://www.greasecar.com/

As far as I know, neither of these systems have been tested on hybrids. In times like these, progressive ideas can save the middle class.

5/1/2008 1:25:18 PM

My dad is switching one of his fed ex trucks over to vegetable oil this summer when the warrenty runs out.

5/1/2008 1:29:37 PM

Hippies

5/1/2008 1:30:48 PM

well vegetable oil requires a diesel engine

5/1/2008 1:42:33 PM

less than $60??? OH EMM GEE

5/1/2008 1:44:29 PM

Why would you combine with water, ever? Water isnt volatile enough to be a fuel source. If you are watering down the oil (which doesnt really work since they separate), then why not just lessen the mixture?

[Edited on May 1, 2008 at 2:04 PM. Reason : .]

5/1/2008 2:03:59 PM

They are not talking about watering down fuel. They are talking about seperating out hydrogen from water and burning that.

5/1/2008 2:07:33 PM

soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo OLD

the water thing doesnt work, the veggie, however does and has worked for..lets see...the HISTORY of diesels

5/1/2008 2:10:02 PM

^^ how could you call hydrogen burning "water"? its not even close. oh well. at least someone isnt pouring water into their gas tank

5/1/2008 2:16:02 PM

Just watch the goddamn video.

5/1/2008 2:17:31 PM

Government is too tied to the fuel industry and $ talks so a lot of great innovations get suppressed and don't get out there. Alot of these things could have been done a long long time ago.

the environment falls deaf to the ears of capitalism

/political scientist rant

5/1/2008 2:18:48 PM

If we spent the kind of money on developing new automotive technology that we did on Iraq our shit would run on rainbows and unicorn farts.

5/1/2008 2:26:15 PM

http://automobiles.honda.com/

honda has a car that runs on "water"

5/1/2008 2:27:24 PM

Which one? your link goes to like 100 models.

5/1/2008 2:28:32 PM

I'm no chemist, but I do know that separating water molecules takes energy.

5/1/2008 3:15:27 PM

^ water isnt a fuel in any way. hydrogen is used as a battery to hold free energy and then is turned back into water and heat and power for your car. they can produce H anywhere they can produce electricity if they are using electrolysis. the hydrogen fuel cell car is the new one by honda. ive also heard chevy has a hydrogen car, but trusting chevy with technology isnt exactly a good idea

[Edited on May 1, 2008 at 3:20 PM. Reason : .]

5/1/2008 3:19:18 PM

that's sort of what I meant. I'm not sure how it's done, but I know the hydrogen has to come from (endergonic?) reaction somewhere. You don't just fill your car up with water and tool around town.

5/1/2008 3:25:00 PM

in all seriousness, how would this effect the price of water if, hypothetically, it worked?

5/1/2008 3:25:54 PM

You can make water burn but it requires hitting it with enough radio waves to split the hydrogen & oxygen... which means you have to hit it with about 10x the energy you get out of it..

Grease works because its cheap and a waste product of other things we do... alcohol again has a negative energy balance... by the time you grow corn distill it and ship it to gas stations you've spent more energy then the fuel you delivered contains.

5/1/2008 3:30:44 PM

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678555/posts

5/1/2008 3:30:59 PM

once we figure out a way to properly store hydrogen on a consumer level, it's back to magic carpets for the saudis

-top gear

5/1/2008 4:02:20 PM

^ compressed tanks? it is a gas, even if it doesnt like being compressed

5/1/2008 4:08:38 PM

I hear you can run a car on urine...

5/1/2008 4:35:41 PM

Hydrogen can be stored as a gas, liquid, or solid -- according to that Futurecar show on Discovery Channel.

5/1/2008 4:36:57 PM

http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/

5/1/2008 4:37:19 PM

Vegetable oil. Ha, as long as we are burning hydrocarbons, we are part of the problem, not solution.

5/1/2008 4:39:57 PM

Quote :

"Maybe the kids at UNC will do better."

wtf is that supposed to mean.

5/1/2008 4:59:00 PM

THE PROBLEM IS HYDROGEN WANTS TO BURN ALL THE TIME...

its way way way way way more volatile than gasoline.

5/1/2008 5:00:22 PM

GO AWAY RACHAEL STOP FOLLOWING ME

5/1/2008 5:00:31 PM

Quote :

"THE PROBLEM IS HYDROGEN WANTS TO BURN ALL THE TIME... its way way way way way more volatile than gasoline."

Maybe so, but Futurecar said that in crash tests, a hydrogen fuel cell is no more dangerous than a tank of gasoline. FWIW

5/1/2008 5:03:58 PM

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE DROUGHT

5/1/2008 5:04:34 PM

but if a little gas starts leaking out of a tanker... its not likely to burn... hydrogen wants to combine with ANYTHING... especially Oxygen...

5/1/2008 5:08:32 PM

YOU FORGOT THE FUCKING HUMAN ELEMENT

5/1/2008 5:12:44 PM

lets start putting hydrogen in blimps too

[Edited on May 1, 2008 at 8:32 PM. Reason : its actually not so bad if it doesn't all collect]

5/1/2008 8:30:44 PM