Big Fitz
User Quit *****
- Nov 23, 2009
- 16,917
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Damn you, Laws of Thermodynamics! Damn youuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!! I hate it when reality gets in the way of such awesome snake oil science.It's called lack of demand coupled with an unsure technology... why do you think all these green companies are failing daily?
well, lack of truth more like it......
The Truth About Water-Powered Cars: Mechanic's Diary - Popular Mechanics
Here's the deal, people: There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.
There is energy in water. Chemically, it's locked up in the atomic bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms. When the hydrogen and oxygen combine, whether it's in a fuel cell, internal combustion engine running on hydrogen, or a jury-rigged pickup truck with an electrolysis cell in the bed, there's energy left over in the form of heat or electrons. That's converted to mechanical energy by the pistons and crankshaft or electrical motors to move the vehicle.
Problem: It takes exactly the same amount of energy to pry those hydrogen and oxygen atoms apart inside the electrolysis cell as you get back when they recombine inside the fuel cell. The laws of thermodynamics haven't changed, in spite of any hype you read on some blog or news aggregator. Subtract the losses to heat in the engine and alternator and electrolysis cell, and you're losing energy, not gaining it--period.