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Water-Powered Automobile.
Reality or hoax?
Denny Klein of Florida claims he can build a car that will go 100 miles on 4 ounces of water.
Is this the end of our dependence on foreign oil? The answer to our energy problems? Or just an elaborate hoax?. We will investigate Mr. Klein's claims, hopefully providing lessons for how other similar claims should be investigated. And even if it does work as claimed, will it save you money? See results below
From Car Powered By Water A Reality by Erik Flack
(LOUISVILLE) -- Along Florida's Gulf Coast, water is everywhere. From the bay to the beach to the town of Clearwater, that is where we found Denny Klein. A man driven by water, literally.
Klein has invented the world's first water powered car. It runs on what he calls "Aquygen." Aquygen is water or H2O, broken down and turned into HHO gas, something scientists once thought impossible.
First Clue: According to the quote, the car does not run on water. It runs on "Aquygen." "Aquygen" is not water. But wait, it gets worse. In reality, Aquygen is only a fuel additive, not a replacement fuel as implied in the quote.
Beware of misleading or misrepresented claims.
"Any PhD or library, they say you can't mix hydrogen and oxygen. And still to this day we get a lot of people who don't believe us because that's what they were taught," Klein said.
Next Clue: Wow, I hope he has his Nobel acceptance speech ready. Forget the car, if he can show that something that is believed true by "Any PhD or library" is wrong, then he will go down in history. After all, this is what scientific legends are made of. He should be on the cover of every chemistry journal in publication. So why isn't he? Why is he making his claims in the media instead of publishing them in peer-reviewed scientific journals? Allowing your claims to be tested by those qualified to do so is how legitimate science is done. A TV reporter is not likely to be able to properly evaluate the claim. Showing your claims to local TV stations is how magicians, psychics, etc. "prove" their claims, not how credible science is proven.
Beware when a claim is verified by the media, instead of by those who are actually qualified to properly evaluate the claim.
See Lessons from Cold Fusion - Beware of Science by Press Conference
But people are quickly learning Klein and his car are for real.
Klein says his design will retrofit any piston engine.
An economic development team from the county and local government TV got a demonstration while we were there.
Same Clue: Why does he get the TV station to verify his claims as opposed to someone who is actually qualified to evaluate his claims. The answer to this question should be obvious.
Klein says he initially developed Aquygen to create a safer, less polluting blowtorch. Klein realized Aquygen would clean up car emissions as well. The only thing that would come out of the tailpipe was water.
Soon, his vision became a reality.
Like most alternative fuel cars, the prototype is actually a hybrid. It runs on a gas and Aquygen mixture. Whenever you're ready, you flip the switch and the Aquygen kicks in.
The result is up to a 50 percent jump in gas mileage. Klein's Ford Escort prototype gets 384 miles on a tank of gas. 576 miles with a little Aquygen mixed in.
Klein sees a totally Aquygen powered car sometime in the future. With that, he says you could drive 100 miles on 4 ounces of water. "You just drive it like a regular car. The infrastructure is already in place to get it serviced so we don't have to reinvent the wheel," Klein said.
Next Clue: It reminds me of the many perpetual motion machine hoaxes of the past. Although the inventor claims that the machine could (or in the future will) run on its own power, the inventor invariably has some excuse for why another source of power is connected to it. The inventor always has a good reason why it was plugged into the wall, etc; But of course it didn't really need that external power source, that was just so that¼ [Fill in the blank with any reasonable-sounding excuse]
Perpetual motion machine - a machine that moves forever without being driven by an external source of energy. [More Info]
For now, Denny Klein is content to perfect the hybrid version of the car. He says it could hit the market in as little as 2 years.
Next Clue: He claims he knows how to make a car that can run on pure Aquygen, but he's "content" with just the hybrid version? The ability to revolutionize the world is within his grasp, yet he's just content to tinker with his hybrid. (yawn)
That's like saying I could have mom's homemade apple pie, but for now, I'm content with my two-year-old sister's mud pie. Get real!!!
Beware of statements that are just plain absurd to excuse why they don't produce the real deal.
Aquygen units for industrial use are already for sale and Klein says other uses for it remain on the horizon. After all, with Aquygen, the possibilities are as endless as the supply.
If you're worried about losing power, don't. Unlike some other alternative fuel cars, Klein says he actually gets a couple extra horsepower when he uses Aquygen.
There are two hurdles to a car that runs totally on Aquygen. One: long-term impact on the engine. Will the water speed up rust or corrosion over time? Two: figuring out a process to tank the gas for distribution.
Next Clue: The inventor points out some of the problems (thus lending an air of credibility because he's willing to be "honest" about its shortcomings). However, the shortcomings are so minor that even the reader could easily solve them. Yet, the inventor completely ignores the real shortcomings. Rust is easy to deal with - pick metals that are not subject to rust in the desired environment. Fuel distribution is a no-brainer - Take out that bulky gas engine and run it on Aquygen with a 30-gallon fuel tank. At a 100 miles per 4 ounces, that will take you 96,000 miles. Who would complain about going to the dealer for a refill every 96,000 miles?
However, the big question is, since we are talking about "Aquygen" (not water) what are the cost and problems associated with creating Aquygen? What does the equipment to produce Aquygen cost? Is is safe to do so in your own home? Can it be safely transported? If Aquygen really is H2O broken down into HHO gas as Klein claims, then basic chemistry tells you that it will take more energy to break it down, than you will get from its recombination. There are many things you can add to your gas that will boost your mileage. Unfortunately, they cost more than the savings you get from the boosted mileage. Where's the data to show that Aquygen doesn't cost more to produce than it saves you? I checked their website and couldn't find any estimates for the cost of production. Even a link on their homepage titled "produced inexpensively on demand" didn't provide the info (although it does give you info for buying the Aquygen generator, it doesn't mention the critically important cost of operation)
But here's some math:
You can purchase the home unit for $6,995. A price is not given for the unit used in their test, which was installed directly in the automobile. So we will assume that a unit that can stand up to the rigors of being operated in an automobile will cost as least as much. According to THEIR tests (they don't provide details as to who verified these results), his Ford Escort went from 33.0 to 40.56 mpg using the Aquygen system driving on the Interstate at 60 mph. But since he doesn't provide independent verification of his tests, we don't know if was hot footing it to get the 33.0 mpg and driving easy to get the 40.56 mpg. We are all aware of how driving habits can affect gas mileage. According to the EPA ratings for his car the he should have gotten about 38 mpg without the device, so 33 mpg without the device sounds suspiciously low.
Again, as noted above, if he claims are real, why doesn't he have an independent organization validate his testing methods?
At any rate, taking his claims at face value and assuming they are accurate, with gas at $3.00 per gallon, the net gasoline cost savings is $0.017 per mile.
So even if you trust his claims, to save enough to pay for the unit, you would have to drive 411,470 miles. And this is according HIS data. (See Here's the Math below)
This of course doesn't include any additional installation and maintenance costs.
If one uses the more realistic EPA value of 38 mph without the device, then you would have to drive 1,399,000 miles.
To be fair, if Aquygen could be produced cheaply and if the engine could efficiently utilize it, then this would be a good candidate for a fuel cell making it comparable in economy to an electric car. However, since the inventor avoids this critical topic, I doubt this is so.
Beware when the inventor makes issue of minor problems while ignoring the major ones.
Conclusion:
When someone presents their claims only to those who are not qualified to properly evaluate their claims - BEWARE.
This is the hallmark of phony psychics, spiritualists, etc. who are more than happy to demonstrate their powers in front of TV crews and reporters, but stay clear of a controlled demonstration in front of professional magicians who know the tricks of the trade and can expose them for the frauds they are.
Does any of this prove that his claims are phony? Of course not. I recently read Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage and it discusses how to detect the "red flags" that should serve as a warning as to when someone is lying. However, it states that just because someone sets off the red flags, this doesn't mean they are lying, just that you should be extra cautious. Mr. Klein's claims set off plenty of red flags.
The reality is, splitting H2O into hydrogen and oxygen is old news. It's a basic science class experiment. Adding it to a combustion engine is not exactly new either. As stated before, there are plenty of things you can add to your gas to boost your mileage. The $64,000 question is do they save as much as they cost?
The validity of his claims could be easily be proved by a controlled test that monitored the cost of producing the Aquygen and the associated fuel cost savings in a controlled environment with an appropriately-qualified third party running the test. This could done fairly easily. If Mr. Klein did so, then there would be little doubt as to the credibility of his claims. I have not been able to find any evidence he has done so. So you have to ask yourself, why hasn't he? Again, the answer should be obvious.
More Info:
- Aquygen Website
- Lessons from Cold Fusion - Beware of Science by Press Conference
- Video Interview
- Article about getting energy from water
- Article about Hydrogen Technology Applications Inc
Other Similar Claims:
There are also similar systems that are currently for sale to the consumer. But you should ask yourself, if these really worked why isn't practically every auto fleet manager already using them? After all, it's their career and lively hood to find ways to reduce the cost of fleet operation. Surely the word would have gotten around by now about the incredible savings these devices provide. Even if the savings were minimal, they'd be jumping all over it. When you manage hundreds of vehicles, even saving a few dollars a month per vehicle adds up fast.
And where are the peer-reviewed published studies that verify their claims? It makes a person go, hmmmm....
Here's the Math:
Fuel cost savings if mileage goes from 33 to 40.56 mpg:
33.00 mpg @ $3.00 per gal = fuel cost of 3 / 33.00 = $0.091 per mile
40.56 mpg @ $3.00 per gal = fuel cost of 3 / 40.56 = $0.074 per mile
The savings for 40.56 mpg compared to 33 mpg = $0.017 per mile
Therefore to save $6,995: 6995 / 0.017 = 411,470 miles
In other words:
Driving 411,470 miles at 33.00 mpg will use 12,469 gallons of gas
(411,470 / 33.00 = 12,469)
Driving 411,470 miles at 40.56 mpg will use 10,145 gallons of gas
(411,470 / 40.56 = 10,145).
Thus, a net saving of 12,469 -10,145 = 2,324 gallons.
At $3 per gallon, that saves you $6,972, approximately enough to by the
Aquygen device.
Fuel cost savings if mileage goes from 38 to 40.56 mpg:
38.00 mpg @ $3.00 per gal = fuel cost of 3 / 38.00 = $0.079 per mile
40.56 mpg @ $3.00 per gal = fuel cost of 3 / 40.56 = $0.074 per mile
The savings for 40.56 mpg compared to 38 mpg = $0.005 per mile
Therefore to save $6,995: 6995 / 0.005 = 1,399,000 miles
In other words:
Driving 1,399,000 miles at 38.00 mpg will use 36,816 gallons of gas.
Driving 1,399,000 miles at 40.56 mpg will use 34,492 gallons of gas.
Thus, a net saving of 36,816 - 34,492 = 2,324 gallons.
At $3 per gallon, that saves you $6,972, approximately enough to by the
Aquygen device.
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2006-07-28 Anonymous wrote
Interesting, Factual, Fair and Balanced
These sorts of bogus "quasi-scientific" miracle products have been
around for a long time. If you have had even some science or engineering
coursework, it takes only a few sentences to classify such tripe as
"bogus". Of course, for the millions of gullible, ignorant Americans, it
might seem like the real deal. You won't ever be able to educate those
people who would be taken in by such articles, since they won't ever
read yours!
2006-08-16 Bob Chesko, Young Earth Creationist, wrote
So So, I'm not sure of the accuracy
This fellow seems to be convinced that there are no new developments
possible in todays advanced and rapidly advancing technology relating to
energy sources and economical production. I think he's a pessimist and
taking a biased look at things here, just a gainsayer. Give things a
chance, hey the car you drive today didn't just appear on the market
instantly with all the comforts features and devices it now has, they
were improved and worked on gradually and over some time. I think Gerry
Kline is doing great, what is THIS guy doing, besides discouraging
experimentation and development?? Back off, dude.
2006-10-01 Anonymous, Theistic Evolutionist, wrote
Interesting, Factual,
I have yet to see HOW this HHO gas is generated. H2 gas made the
old-fashioned way is by adding electricity to water and splitting the
water into H2 and O2. But how does THIS device work?
Without that crutial (and no doubt protected) piece of information, its really hard to make a judgement. Klein may be on to something - maybe a safer way of storing hydrogen combustion engines (don't store it, make it on demand).
The savings is based on the CURRENT cost of the technology. Mass production has a history of drastically reducing the price. Unless we have all the information, there is no way to be sure.
2006-10-16 Disgusstoramolus, wrote
Boring, Bogus
I've already commented. This is bogus bullshit for dumbshit Southern
Ignoramouses. Don't reduce yourself to their ignorant level. Please
delete this article to maintain any semblance of intelligence. You
should start reading The Wall Street Journal. Instead of wasting your
time with this BS, maybe you could make a dollar or two.
Thx, GM
2006-10-19 18:30:06, JMM, Atheistic Evolutionist, wrote
Interesting, Factual, Fair and Balanced
The critique was spot-on; what truly frightens me is the comment
preceding this one. A "Bob Chesko" accuses the author of pessimism and
bias, despite the well-reasoned, strongly supported, and clearly stated
argument the author presents. BC then provides a "counter position" that
is not relevant to the original article nor the critique, while managing
to butcher the name of the person that he is claiming to defend! The
lack of precision and comprehension here is astounding, and illustrates
all to clearly the susceptibility of the muddle-minded masses to
pseudo-scientific ploys and hoaxes.
2006-12-09 Ian, Atheistic Evolutionist, wrote
Interesting, I'm not sure of the accuracy
You could try contacting the inventor instead of relying on idiotic,
halfassed reporters to do your work for you.
