WATER POWERED CARS, CUT FUEL COSTS
Water powered cars, cut fuel costs, how to reduce gas consumption by converting you car to water power and lower fuel costs, hybrid vehicles, biodiesel, petrol and electricity
Start of article about
how to reduce fuel costs.
Previous page about how to reduce petrol consumption.
Hybrid vehicles
A car that runs on water as well as petrol or diesel is a kind of hybrid vehicle in so far as it runs on two different fuel sources. But a better known kind of hybrid vehicle is one which has a normal petrol engine and also has an electric motor powered by rechargeable batteries. The Toyota Prius that I wrote about earlier on is probably the best known hybrid car in the UK.
Convert you car to water power
In a nutshell, hybrid car uses an onboard engine management system to decide what power source (petrol engine, electric motor, or a combination of the two) to use at any given moment in order to get the best possible fuel economy. When the car is at a standstill, such as at traffic lights, the engine will usually shut down completely and then automatically be restarted as soon as it is needed.
The batteries can be recharged by connecting the car to a mains electrical power source. But they are also recharged when on the move through a process known as regenerative braking - put simply this involves using energy created during braking to charge the batteries.
The big drawback with hybrid electric cars is that you need a lot of batteries in order to make electric propulsion viable. These take up a fair bit of room and have an environmental impact in terms of the electricity needed to charge them and the problems associated with their safe disposal.
Biodiesel (or how to run your car on chip fat)
Biodiesel is a well tested alterative to standard diesel that can be used in most diesel cars with no modifications needed to the engine. Biodiesel is produced from sources such as rapeseed or vegetable oil.
With a little bit of research and a small investment in time and equipment, it is possible to run your diesel car on old vegetable oil from, for example, your local chip shop provided that you take the necessary steps to clean and refine it. Opinion varies on whether this does any long term damage to your car, but most people experts seem to think it is ok, especially if you have an older diesel vehicle from around ten years ago.
In the past, you had to pay duty if you made your own biofuel to power your car. But a change in UK law in 2007 means it is now perfectly legal to make up to 2,500 litres of your own biodiesel per year without having to pay any tax or duty.
There is equipment you can buy to convert old cooking oil, which would otherwise end up in landfill sites, into a biofuel which you can just pour into your diesel car's fuel tank. Or, if you fancy a slightly more hands-on approach, there are numerous guides on the internet which will tell you how to make such equipment yourself - something which should be well within the capabilities of any DIY enthusiast.
In a nutshell, you have to allow the old oil to stand for long enough for the sediment to settle at the bottom. The top 70% of the oil can then be pumped and filtered and is then clean enough to go straight into the car's fuel tank.
The remaining mix of oil and sludge is converted to biodiesel by adding methanol and caustic soda. The mixture is then heated so that it reacts with the caustic soda.
This creates a by-product of glycerine which has to be removed by washing it out with a soap and water. The glycerine can then be composted and the biodiesel that is left can be added to the fuel tank of the car.
However, not everyone is concerned or unhappy about the rising cost of fuel.
Water powered cars can cut fuel costs and show you how to reduce gas consumption by converting you car to water power and lower your fuel costs, hybrid vehicles, biodiesel, petrol and electricity
Water powered cars, cut fuel costs, how to reduce gas consumption by converting you car to water power and lower fuel costs, hybrid vehicles, biodiesel, petrol and electricity
Previous page about how to reduce petrol consumption.
Hybrid vehicles
A car that runs on water as well as petrol or diesel is a kind of hybrid vehicle in so far as it runs on two different fuel sources. But a better known kind of hybrid vehicle is one which has a normal petrol engine and also has an electric motor powered by rechargeable batteries. The Toyota Prius that I wrote about earlier on is probably the best known hybrid car in the UK.
Convert you car to water power
In a nutshell, hybrid car uses an onboard engine management system to decide what power source (petrol engine, electric motor, or a combination of the two) to use at any given moment in order to get the best possible fuel economy. When the car is at a standstill, such as at traffic lights, the engine will usually shut down completely and then automatically be restarted as soon as it is needed.
The batteries can be recharged by connecting the car to a mains electrical power source. But they are also recharged when on the move through a process known as regenerative braking - put simply this involves using energy created during braking to charge the batteries.
The big drawback with hybrid electric cars is that you need a lot of batteries in order to make electric propulsion viable. These take up a fair bit of room and have an environmental impact in terms of the electricity needed to charge them and the problems associated with their safe disposal.
Biodiesel (or how to run your car on chip fat)
Biodiesel is a well tested alterative to standard diesel that can be used in most diesel cars with no modifications needed to the engine. Biodiesel is produced from sources such as rapeseed or vegetable oil.
With a little bit of research and a small investment in time and equipment, it is possible to run your diesel car on old vegetable oil from, for example, your local chip shop provided that you take the necessary steps to clean and refine it. Opinion varies on whether this does any long term damage to your car, but most people experts seem to think it is ok, especially if you have an older diesel vehicle from around ten years ago.
In the past, you had to pay duty if you made your own biofuel to power your car. But a change in UK law in 2007 means it is now perfectly legal to make up to 2,500 litres of your own biodiesel per year without having to pay any tax or duty.
There is equipment you can buy to convert old cooking oil, which would otherwise end up in landfill sites, into a biofuel which you can just pour into your diesel car's fuel tank. Or, if you fancy a slightly more hands-on approach, there are numerous guides on the internet which will tell you how to make such equipment yourself - something which should be well within the capabilities of any DIY enthusiast.
In a nutshell, you have to allow the old oil to stand for long enough for the sediment to settle at the bottom. The top 70% of the oil can then be pumped and filtered and is then clean enough to go straight into the car's fuel tank.
The remaining mix of oil and sludge is converted to biodiesel by adding methanol and caustic soda. The mixture is then heated so that it reacts with the caustic soda.
This creates a by-product of glycerine which has to be removed by washing it out with a soap and water. The glycerine can then be composted and the biodiesel that is left can be added to the fuel tank of the car.
However, not everyone is concerned or unhappy about the rising cost of fuel.
Water powered cars can cut fuel costs and show you how to reduce gas consumption by converting you car to water power and lower your fuel costs, hybrid vehicles, biodiesel, petrol and electricity
