Anant.

The key to this being the assumption that the water is only the primary source of energy. One can put together a pretty realisitc scenario where we get big improvements in the efficiency of turning energy into motion by having another power source in play.

One of the problems with converting fuel into motion is that the theoretically available energy based on a fuel’s chemical composition is much higher than the energy that can be productively used in a mechanical system. And as I understand, this is particularly true for the current generation of battery operated cars, as cars have grown up with, and are hence optimized for, use with internal combustion engines which typically run between 500 – 5000 rpm.

However, its possible to imagine that the inventor in this case has developed a clever new way of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using current from a battery. So the water goes in, is split using power from a battery stored in the car, and explosively recombined to power the car. The total energy cost is whatever energy was drawn from the battery to split the water.

So some questions about whether or not this is possible, based on the claim that 4oz. of water can drive the car for 100 miles are:

1. Is there even enough energy in the hydrogen gas produced from 4oz. of water to drive an average size car that far? Or, Is this just a total hoax?

2. If so, is it theoretically possible (i.e. using a 100% efficient method) to split 4oz. of water with an energy source which could fit in the box shown in the video (which is aprox. 2′ x 2′ x 3′)? How much energy (and hence battery weight) can be saved by using battery power to split water for fuel rather than moving the car directly? Or, Is this actually a viable method for powering a car?

3. If so, how much does this improve on the efficiency of current electrolysis methods. Or, Is this new?

As far as I can see, the questions are increasingly likely to be answered in the negative. Though I don’t know, I can imagine that there’s enough hydrogen in 4oz. of water to power a car.

I’d be rather more surprised if it was possible to gain efficiency by essentially adding a step to the chain of conversion from energy –> motion. But since each step is quite inefficient, I suppose it would be possible to replace one particularly inefficient step with two more efficient ones and realize a gain.

However, I’d be absolutely shocked if this was really a drastically more efficient way of splitting water such that it all of a sudden made sense to use spoonfuls of water to drive cars.