Down With Petroleum

From the time I was little, I knew I was interested in literature and history. I was fascinated with stories of fact and fiction. Not so much with math. Mathematics was a black and white unembellished chore. 

My recent stops at the Mobil station however, have made me as keen as Stephen Hawkins. Cold hard miles driven divided by gallons purchased and averaged out with city and highway driving. In the end, it is more expensive to run your automobile no matter what or how you drive.

There are alternatives these days but they are far from ideal. Hybrids have leapt to the forefront of the conservation movement but I have my reservations with them. They seem too quirky for this climate. The engine has to run to produce heat in the winter and the engine has to run to use the air conditioner in the summer and then there is the gearbox or lack thereof. I recently watched a vacationing couple in a rented Prius try to keep it running after having to jump-start the gizmo. Hilarious when you consider how much technology was working against them. The AAA tech was at a loss as to how they could keep the engine running for any amount of time while the battery recharged itself. 

E85 flex fuel vehicles have had a disappointing run in the conservation field. To begin with they get on average 20 percent less mpg than the same non-ethanol based vehicle. The hope was that the corn additive would become more cost effective as production ramped up and more vehicles demanded it. Neither has really happened for whatever reason. 

The answer is clear that what is really needed is an alternative to fossil fuels all together. Any carbon-based fuel adds pollution to the atmosphere and has a finite supply. There is however something that can fit the bill and actually be retrofitted into current cars. It is the most abundant element-not just in the world-but in the universe. It has the power to propel and yet does not leave a carbon footprint. It is hydrogen.

Now before you start screaming "Oh the humanity", hydrogen has not been given its fair due. There are two types of hydrogen and HHO gas is more stable and has a much higher flash point than even gasoline at roughly 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit  vs. approximately 280 degrees Fahrenheit for petroleum. Scientists have also been working on a way to produce hydrogen on demand for use in automobiles. Currently, you can buy a kit that only supplements petrol however, it can save 20- 50 percent on your fuel consumption while increasing power output. The only by- product of introducing hydrogen to your engine is H2O (water), which essentially works to decrease the internal temperature of the engine and help to prolong its life. You can find more info and kits like the one I am installing on my own car at www.mileagegarage.com.     

The ability to produce hydrogen from water on demand in your own car would revolutionize not just this country, but the world. With the rise of the Asian cultures to a position of individual wealth, the world will need to make something like this happen from a supply-demand and environmental standpoint. The hurdle set before the scientific community is huge. No, it’s not the technology; I believe we already have that. The answer is political. A world where anyone who has access to a glass of water can produce their own fuel to drive a car, or power their home would be cataclysmic. Middle Eastern governments would fall like dominoes; utility companies would be as prolific as dial-up internet.  Refineries would shutter and fuel speculators would be reduced to using dousing rods. The best the government could hope for to raise fuel tax revenues would be to charge outrageous taxes on water and hope it doesn't rain.  The entire world order would change in the blink of an eye. But when the dust settles, wouldn’t it be worth it? 

Remove the fuel equation from your life and where does that put you in dollars and cents?  What about the environment?  Harnessing the power of Hydrogen could be the revolution that brings us to the brink but saves the day as well.