Engineuity developing hydrogen-creating, emission free vehicle

First, where does the energy for heatng the water come from? and then how is the metal coil deoxidized? Magnesium and aluminum reduction are very high energy requirement process, aither in the production or re-reduction processes. It sounds to me like another free energy program.

Figures don't lie, but liars figure.

RichH

NoSciFi, you wrote "It sounds to me like another free energy program."

This is not quite what the originator claims, assuming that "running cost of the system should be equal to that of conventional cars today" includes fuel cost. Fuel? What fuel?

It appears that the raw input might be water, magnesium and aluminum. The original (superheated?) steam is presumably made by burning some stored hydrogen. So, if it works, the fuel will cost money. The aims seems to be to provide clean, green propulsion with no harmful emissions. But, what to do with all the metal oxides... ??

Perhaps we need to invite the inventor in the discussion.

The reaction between Mg and H₂O is fairly simple to start and will result in H₂ and a lot of heat, that can be used to let the Al play along.

What is the price of the Mg? and what will the price be when we all need 1kg per day?

The resulting oxides will need proccessing and what do we use as fuel there: yes coal and oil.

This is again a way to deal with the rush to Hydrogen as a "clean" fuel. I don't believe this clean aspect. OK there will be no CO₂ in the exhaust, but what about the N-oxides that form in the combustion heat? those are direct toxic.

What about H₂ leaks? Or is this again a car that must be parked outside?

Another "interesting" approach!

I can only add that in general, claims to equate a new technology's operating costs or costs per mile typically leave many factors out of their equation, and never seem to include the present structure of federal, state and local taxes on motor fuels. They typically assume volumes based on the volumes of present motor fuels and disregard other factors affecting final cost. In this case, magnesium and aluminum mining and processing are energy intensive tasks and I doubt that has been factored in. Since we are "burning" these metals, they have to be re-processed to reclaim them which requires energy for that and the transport back and forth. Then there is the potential for "run-away" reactions, to some extent or another.

Another thing typically left out of these "emmission free" proposals are the emmisions and pollution occuring at earlier points in the chain. If we are talking "green" here, we have to consider the whole picture, not just emissions at the end use.

Can't rule it out of course but at this point very skeptical. I wouldn't rush out to buy stock in the company just yet.

Another "shell game." The 'SOS' of 'Robbing Peter to pay Paul.'

In addition you expend more energy to reconstitute the reactants than you get from the oxidation process. The only so called 'advantage' is moving the pollution from the autos to the processing plant and costs are greater!

Stirling Stan, you wrote: "In addition you expend more energy to reconstitute the reactants than you get from the oxidation process."

Not to be "impossible, just a little difficult", what 'reconstitute the reactants' are you thinking about? Isn't it just a case of buying a new "magnesium/ali coil" and throw away the burnt one? Until, that is, the first "magnesium crisis"!

I'm not expert, but I would expect it to be cheaper to reduce/purify these relatively pure oxides than to start out from natural ores. If I'm wrong, and the energy needed to extract the materials from natural ores is less than is needed to recycle, this could be a CO2-efficient source of energy.

Fyz

It's basically burning aluminum. Could be an interesting way to recycle soda and beer cans.

And in the Aussie drought, after all of the soda and beer, you wouldn't even need to find a source of water.

RichH