With the advent of technology, the idea of hydrogen-powered vehicles is nothing extraordinary, but a car creating its own hydrogen fuel using the sun certainly is. An agriscience professor from Middle Tennessee State University is gearing up to successfully drive over 500 miles in a hydrogen-powered 1994 Toyota Tercel that produces its own juice. “Forces of Nature,” as William calls it with love, will use solar power to extract hydrogen from an onboard water supply.
How does it produces its own hydrogen fuel? The car comes equipped with a solar collector that generates electricity, which in turn runs the vehicle’s solid polymer electrolysis unit. This unit separates the water into its hydrogen and oxygen components, after which the hydrogen is stored in two 500-gallon tanks, where it is compressed at 6,000psi. The end product is then manually transferred to the car’s dual 4.2kg fuel tanks, which are used to run the motor.
The Forces of Nature’s fuel tanks offer a range of 336 miles and during the one-day journey the car will travel at an average speed of 58mph. The drive will start from near Blacksburg, Virginia to Little Rock, Arkansas on November 1. The MTSU professor sees his hydrogen-powered roadster as a beginning of cleaner environment, energy self-sufficiency and renewability.
