I have being hearing of a water powered car that uses electrolosis to to form hydrogen which is then used to power the car. However to get the electricity in the first place surely fossil fuels must be used to produce it. (or perhaps not i don't know) If so what is the purpose of a water powered car?
I was reading the answers and wondering why Al Gore needs to be dragged int this. Experiments concerning the production of hydrogen by electrolytic decomposition of water in a sodium hydroxide melt are frequently described. The electrolytic cell and the two electrodes are made from Al2O3 and nickel. The working temperature of the electrolysis ranged between 320 and 400 C. The data necessary for an analysis of economic efficiency such as the current density and overall cell voltage, current efficiency, water vapor surplus and corrosion resistance of the electrodes were tested and determined. Starting from these investigations an analysis of economic efficiency and an initial assessment of the overall efficiency were carried out on the basis of electrolytic parameters regarded as achievable. If the high temperature reactor (HTR) is taken as the primary energy source, an overall efficiency of 38-39% is obtained. Not bad, huh ?? Perhaps think first and fire later would be good guideline. Why everybody assumes electrolysis ?
In theory it could work, and even be a closed loop system. Use electrolysis to break water down into it's component parts. Pump the oxygen and hydrogen into a fuel cell to generate electricity. Take the result which is water and star the whole thing over again. The problem is in the conversion. It takes a lot more energy to break down water than you get back by powering a fuel cell, which by the way is the most efficient use. Any time you convert potential energy into kinetic energy there is converson loss.
Equivilant Exchange. To get something in the first place, something must be sacrificed. Electrolosis is a very thoughtful method, but with the current technology that we possess, it simply costs too much energy to use the technology. Overall, hydrogen powered cars are extremely resourceful, even propane. In fact, at the place where I work at we use propane powered forklifts here as compared to the fossil fueled diesel forklifts.
It does not make much sense to use electricity to electrolyze water and then use the hydrogen. How is the hydrogen used? In a fuel cell to produce electricity all over again? It is much simpler to use the electricity directly in a motor. You are right in that fossil fuel is the ultimate driving force and that the problem is just geographically shifted. Unless the car is driven by a primary cell that does not derive the raw material from a fossil fuel.
