Motoring Moving into DIY Age
Sunday, January 24th, 2010
I remember years ago when LPG (liquid petroleum gas) was the new thing for cars. There was a rush to convert to LPG as an alternative fuel. In those days it was a LOT cheaper than petrol or diesel.
Motorists queued to get their LPG tanks fitted. Taxi and transport fleets were converted. The set-up and installation cost was low and the gas was a fraction of the cost of the other fuels.
LPG was front page news then but not any more.
Today the pump price of LPG is much more expensive and car conversion costs have gone through the roof. I saw an advertisement the other day quoting $2700 to install LPG tanks. That leaves no financial advantage for the motorist.
Things change.
Today we?re mostly talking about hydrogen and electric cars.
Fuel prices have got so high that mileage has become a major issue. There is also the sad economic climate and the environmental considerations.
Because of the economy people are not buying new cars and are more concerned with making their existing vehicles cheaper to run.
?Keep the car you?ve got and make it better? is the way many motorists are thinking.
With this in mind there are two quite cheap alternatives. They are either a DIY electrical conversion or a DIY hydrogen conversion.
The electrical conversion will stop your fuel bills completely and give you 100 miles(160.9 km) a charge and a top speed of 55mp (88.5km).
The hydrogen conversion, using water produced hydrogen with petrol,will increase your mileage by 50 per cent and increase vehicle performance.
I believe that most people at present are opting for the hydrogen alternative because it still has the advantage of distance.
The system uses water to produce HHO (also known as Hydroxy or Brown Gas). It provides greatly increased fuel consumption, more power and improved performance. The end product is water so there is clear emission.
The kit works on gas or diesel powered cars, vans, trucks and SUVs. The conversion is safe, fast and easy to do. All that is needed is a conversion manual. The parts for the kit can be easily purchased for less than $100 at local hardware and auto stories.
The new hydrogen powered cars produced by auto manufacturers are expensive. Critics says they are possibly dangerous because they store hydrogen in high pressure tanks. There is also the problem of getting hydrogen supplies at service stations and the possible polluting effects of manufacturing hydrogen.
The hydrogen car kits however provide hydrogen as the car needs it, rather than in storage tanks. The combustible gas is safe because it is extracted as needed and burned steadily from the water, unlike larger volumes of pure hydrogen which are highly flammable.
Until car makers produce safe alternatives that are reasonably priced, I think motoring is in a DIY age.
