NM man turns hardware into hydrogen vehicle

Posted at: 10/15/2009 10:54 AM | Updated at: 10/16/2009 1:54 PM
By: Joe Bartels, Eyewitness News 4

A retired school teacher in Carlsbad was fed up with the price of gasoline. So he turned to the Internet for help.  With parts from the hardware store, he’s now harnessing the power of hydrogen to revitalize a former gas guzzler.

Charles Goodwin’s hydrogen fuel system is helping power his 1997 Ford van, nearly doubling its fuel efficiency.

It started when gas prices shot up a couple of years ago.  Goodwin knew there must have been a solution to the oil dependency of American drivers.

“A lot of my information came from automobile manufacturers in their research departments,” said Goodwin.  “All I have done is applied it.”

Goodwin says the system is easy and safe.  With a couple of stainless steal plates submerged in a water and potassium hydroxide mixture, he is able to create hydrogen gas which is fed into the engine.

And the results?

“I got 31 miles to the gallon, which was a 94 percent increase over the EPA,” said Goodwin.

Rick McKean is an antique car dealer helping Goodwin develop his system.  The results he’s seen have him scratching his head about why there aren’t more hydrogen-powered cars on the road.

“Seventy-five percent of the world is water. Water is H20, two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.  Through electrolysis you can divide the molecules and you have burnable fuel and it’s clean, efficient fuel…  That’s neat,” said McKean.

Goodwin insists that despite the explosive combination of hydrogen gas and oxygen, his fuel system is safe.

“We have safety features built into our system and only a small portion of this would ever explode,” he said.

Goodwin says his hydrogen system would not replace gasoline entirely, but it can reduce our reliance on oil by improving fuel efficiency, allowing drivers to travel farther between fill-ups.

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