[OilBurner]

If you thought that giant algae fields were a bit ambitious then you may find this concept a little *cough* wacky.

An organisation called Earth 2012 is trying to secure funding to develop a water powered car.
The process involves converting the water into hydrogen and oxygen, and then using the hyrdogen in the same fashion as any other fuel cell vehicle.
Instead of using regular electrolysis to split the hyrdogen and oxygen atoms, they're talking about making the water reach a resonant frequency, then only small amounts of energy will be required to generate the reaction. They're a little "fuzzy" on the details of how this will be done - unsurprisingly.

See:
http://www.earth2012.org

It all sounds like snakeoil to me, anyone care to comment on whether this is a case of pigs performing unaided aerial stunts or merely a means of relieving the very rich and silly from the burden of all that cash?

[KiddieKorral]

Sounds like snake oil to me, too. Expect more and more of this kind of thing as people start seeing the shit rushing toward the fan.

[OilBurner]

What surprises me is that this web site was covered on a mainstream UK motoring website.
I guess even journalists get taken in sometimes!!

[KiddieKorral]

It's all about the ad money.

[Cynic]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('KiddieKorral', 'I')t's all about the ad money.

[Aaron]

I weep for the future

[OilBurner]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cynic', 'i') mentioned peak oil to a friend and he said that the whole oil business was just a conspiracy by the big oil companies and someone had already invented a car that could run on water.

[Chicagoan]

Is this real? http://www.earth2012.org/TacomaNarrowsBridge.mpg

I think this is just a joke. It looks too goofy.

[OilBurner]

If it wasn't for the fact that they're asking for donations, I'd also think it a spoof.
Either they're way ahead of their time and a little poor on detail or they're running what could be a highly profitable scam.
I know which I think it is.

[Whitecrab]

If it's public domain, why don't they share the "resonance technology" bit right now!?

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Chicagoan', 'I')s this real? http://www.earth2012.org/TacomaNarrowsBridge.mpg

I think this is just a joke. It looks too goofy.

[OilBurner]

That's the clever thing. If it is a scam, it has a certain grounding in science to help give it credibility. That doesn't mean it works though.
Tellingly, there is not enough detail or facts to allow their idea to be carefully examined.

To me, the whole things sounds like a sophisticated variation on the old perpetual motion machine con.
Water in and water out with little external energy used in-between? Hmmm..

[Whitecrab]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Whitecrab', 'I')'ve seen projects...

[Itch]

What a joke. Even if the project was possible, they won't be making much money by using water as a fuel source, for other reasons besides using fossil fuels for mass production and manipulating the molecular structure of water. Unless they're using water from filthy oceans, then their little invention will become 100% useless once fresh water goes.

[Cynic]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('OilBurner', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cynic', 'i') mentioned peak oil to a friend and he said that the whole oil business was just a conspiracy by the big oil companies and someone had already invented a car that could run on water.

[Madpaddy]

Hi Oilburner,

Ditch the friend. Stupidity is contagious. He probably thinks a tonne of feathers is lighter than a tonne of lead.

All the best,

MADPADDY

[OilBurner]

Whoops - it wasn't my friend!! I think it was Cynics?! I just thought I'd add that I contacted the mainstream website that published the news article with this link and explained why this was a hoax and they very quickly pulled the article. :D
Shame we can't get rid of the fraudsters themselves so easily.

[EnviroEngr]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Whitecrab', 'I')f it's public domain, why don't they share the "resonance technology" bit right now!?

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Chicagoan', 'I')s this real? http://www.earth2012.org/TacomaNarrowsBridge.mpg

I think this is just a joke. It looks too goofy.

[Guest]

http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/feb2/carplans.htm

[Devil]

Reminds me of a scam that was popular in the UK during the 39-45 war, when fuel was strictly rationed (the ration for private car users varied from 0 for most of the war to 1 gallon/week). A guy drives up to a filling station and asks for a fill-up of water. The Pump Attendant queries it and tells the guy that he needs petrol. He says, no, fill it up with water, please. Eventually, he gets his tankful of water and the puzzled PA watches him as he puts one pill in for each gallon of water. He explains that the pill reacts with the water and turns it into petrol. The PA puts his nose to the filler pipe and, sure enough, he smells petrol (there is a film of a mm or two floating on the top). Of course, the PA falls for it and asks about the pills (really aspirins). He is told they are freely available and each one costs only half the price of a gallon of petrol, so he buys 500 and thinks he is going to make a killing.

This is not a joke but the truth and thousands were taken in by it.

[Whitecrab]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Devil', 'R')eminds me of a scam that was popular in the UK during the 39-45 war, when fuel was strictly rationed (the ration for private car users varied from 0 for most of the war to 1 gallon/week). A guy drives up to a filling station and asks for a fill-up of water. The Pump Attendant queries it and tells the guy that he needs petrol. He says, no, fill it up with water, please. Eventually, he gets his tankful of water and the puzzled PA watches him as he puts one pill in for each gallon of water. He explains that the pill reacts with the water and turns it into petrol. The PA puts his nose to the filler pipe and, sure enough, he smells petrol (there is a film of a mm or two floating on the top). Of course, the PA falls for it and asks about the pills (really aspirins). He is told they are freely available and each one costs only half the price of a gallon of petrol, so he buys 500 and thinks he is going to make a killing.

This is not a joke but the truth and thousands were taken in by it.