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Japanese venture refits cars to run on hydrogen

KAGOSHIMA, Japan - Energy venture Hydrogen Energy Laboratory Project Co has developed a relatively inexpensive way to modify automobiles so they can run on hydrogen.

To convert a gasoline-fueled car into a hydrogen-burning car, the company uses the existing gas tank to store water and installs a separate tank containing pressurized hydrogen. The hydrogen and water are fed to the engine and injected simultaneously, in computer-controlled volumes, into the cylinders, where the hydrogen is burned in a process that creates high temperatures and instantly vaporizes the water.

The expansion that occurs when water converts to steam drives the pistons. The main substance exhausted from the car is water vapor.
According to the company, one cubic meter of hydrogen can propel the car for about four kilometers, and the tank, which is made by a Canadian firm, can hold 70 cubic meters of hydrogen.

Hydrogen Energy Laboratory Project said it currently costs 10 million yen (US$92,800) to modify an existing car to run on hydrogen, but this expense could be brought down to about 5 million yen. In comparison, the fuel-cell-based hydrogen-powered cars being developed by major auto makers now cost hundreds of millions of yen.

Hydrogen Energy Laboratory Project will apply next year to the Japanese Transportation Ministry for permission to drive its hydrogen-powered vehicles on public roadways. Once the approval has been obtained, a partner company will try to license the technology to dealerships nationwide.

(Asia Pulse/Nikkei)

Dec 9, 2003

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